The iconic Panini FIFA World Cup sticker albums will officially become a thing of the past after the 2030 tournament, bringing to an end a partnership that has defined football collecting culture for generations.

FIFA announced this week that it has extended its agreement with Fanatics to include collectibles rights for FIFA tournaments and events from 2031 onwards, effectively ending Panini’s six-decade association with the World Cup sticker albums.

Panini’s relationship with the tournament stretches back to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, with the company producing some of the most recognisable and nostalgic football collectibles ever created. By the time the 2030 centenary edition concludes, the partnership will have lasted 60 years.

Despite the end of the era, stickers themselves remain remarkably resilient - including in Malta.

“We had already been aware of the news,” Dominic Anastasi, owner of Anastasi Panini in Valletta, tells WhosWho.mt.

“We have represented Panini since 1970, and over the decades we have seen many trends come and go, just like in other industries.”

Mr Anastasi noted that while traditional print publishing has experienced steady decline, sticker collecting has remained surprisingly resilient.

“Panini remains extremely popular worldwide, and demand has continued growing year after year,” he said.

“What’s interesting is that newspapers, magazines, books and weekly publications have all seen demand fall over time, but stickers have not followed the same trend.”

The Valletta store has become a staple of Maltese football culture over the decades, particularly during major international tournaments, when collectors gather outside to swap stickers and complete albums.

Mr Anastasi first began importing Panini collections in 1970, establishing what would become Malta’s main Panini distributor.

While the World Cup remains the biggest driver of demand, Mr Anastasi noted that other football tournaments are generally less popular by comparison.

“The biggest tournaments are obviously the World Cup, and the other football events are obviously less popular,” he said.

However, Panini’s dominance in football collectables has already begun shifting in recent years.

Back in 2022, UEFA ended Panini’s decades-long run of producing the official European Championship sticker albums after striking an agreement with American rival Topps for the Euro 2024 and 2028 tournaments.

At the time, Anastasi Panini confirmed it would not stock the new Topps Euro collections, citing its more than 50-year relationship with Panini and its policy of only selling Panini collectables.

Still, the company has increasingly diversified its offerings as competition intensifies.

Alongside traditional football collections, Panini has expanded into broader themes and newer collectable formats, while stores such as Anastasi Panini have also leaned into alternative collections and viral trends to maintain momentum outside major tournaments.

Despite the industry shifts, the physical culture around sticker collecting remains strong in Malta.

Ahead of major competitions, people still gather outside Anastasi Panini’s Valletta shop to swap duplicates – a tradition that has survived generations and the rise of digital entertainment.

In previous comments to WhosWho.mt, Anastasi Panini described the spontaneous trading culture as one of the reasons collectables continue thriving even in an increasingly online world.

“It’s beautiful to see that in an ever-connected world where we keep on seeing children interacting online more and more, these physical products that help children learn to trade and interact with their friends and family keep growing,” the company had said.

Sticker collecting has also increasingly reflected broader inflationary pressures over the years. A standard packet of five stickers now costs around €1, with collectors often relying on swaps to avoid purchasing large numbers of duplicate packets.

Still, demand appears to have remained resilient.

“At this moment we are extremely busy,” Mr Anastasi said this week, adding that he could not reveal further details regarding future developments tied to Panini’s transition away from the World Cup collections.

While the 2030 World Cup may mark the end of one of football’s most iconic collectable traditions, Malta’s appetite for stickers – and the rituals surrounding them – appears far from over.