How Topps-Panini battle ruined Euro 2024 stickers for everyone - ESPN

Euro 2024 is upon us, but it might not be the fiercest football competition as far as stakes, drama and intensity go this summer. Away from the pitches of Germany, where 24 national teams will battle to become European champions, the clash between the tournament's sticker albums is raging.

UEFA's official sticker album, produced by Topps, has two-time Champions League-winning manager José Mourinho appearing in its marketing campaign. But it doesn't have some of Europe's best national teams in their official kits, is missing some of the world's biggest stars, includes some teams who didn't qualify for the tournament and features players who were never close to being selected. Panini, the previous rights holder, put out an album anyway. Its version features five of the tournament's top teams, with all of the star players in their official kits.

«Panini has put out their own booklet, but you're not going to collect two books, are you?» England fan Chris Abbott, who is collecting the official Topps stickers with his young son, says. Without investing their time and money on both albums, the pair will never be able to collect every player.

An era ended when Topps, which is owned by U.S.-based sports retailer Fanatics, announced that it was replacing Panini as the sticker rights holder for the 2024 and 2028 men's Euros, the 2025 women's Euros and UEFA Nations League finals through 2028. Panini, an Italian company, produced every Euros sticker album from 1977 through 2020, and still boasts the FIFA World Cup rights which it has held since 1970.

«Panini sticker albums were a massive part of the preparation before any tournament [because] before the age of the internet, you'd never seen these faces,» Greg Lansdowne, the author of