Lottery network starts selling album and stickers for the 2026 World Cup.

The Brazilian Federal Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal) has partnered with Apache to sell 2026 World Cup sticker albums and stickers in Brazilian lottery outlets. The agreement was announced this Monday (April 6th). Apache is one of Panini's master distributors in Brazil and will coordinate the operation.

The agreement stipulates that establishments will receive a 15% commission on the sales value. Caixa (the bank) retains 5%. The total margin reaches 20%.

The operating model replicates the Tele Sena system.

The operating system replicates the model already used by Tele Sena in lottery outlets. The lottery operator receives the commission within ten days following the immediate reading of the collection slip. The debit corresponding to the purchased lot is processed 30 days after the slip is read.

The products will be distributed through the same channels as Tele Sena or through distributors chosen by Apache. Orders must be placed exclusively through the company's distribution network.

When the commission calculation is applied to the acquisition cost, the percentage reaches approximately 17,70%. Caixa advises establishments to verify the basis for calculating the commission, which may be based on the cost or the sales value.

National lottery groups on platforms such as Mercado Livre and Itaú, as well as other distributors, are reporting intense activity surrounding the product. The Conexão Parceiro portal will provide all the informational and operational material about the agreement.

FEBRALOT highlights paradigm shift in the sector.

The Brazilian Federation of Lottery Associations (FEBRALOT) released an official statement regarding the agreement. Ricardo Amado Costa, president of the organization, assessed the initiative as an opportunity to expand the reach of the lottery network.

“It is with great satisfaction that we announce this new agreement with the lottery network, an initiative that represents not only the expansion of our portfolio, but above all a true paradigm shift in our sector. By incorporating the sale of World Cup soccer albums and stickers — a product with enormous popular appeal — we are taking a strategic step towards modernizing and diversifying the services offered to the population. This partnership reinforces the role of lottery units as points of convenience, proximity, and connection to the daily lives of Brazilians. Special thanks to the Caixa executives for their sensitivity and commitment in making this agreement a reality,” declared Ricardo Amado Costa.

This collection includes 980 stickers representing 48 national teams.

Panini has already made the 2026 World Cup sticker album available for pre-order on its official website. The collection includes 980 stickers, 68 of which are special editions. The edition covers all 48 national teams that will compete in the World Cup between June and July in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The album is offered in different versions, with prices ranging from R$ 24,90 to R$ 79,90, as announced by Panini. Packets of seven stickers cost R$ 7 each — the highest price in the history of World Cup sticker collections. Completing the collection can require an investment of over R$ 6,2 without trading. Trading between collectors can reduce this value to approximately R$ 1,5, according to calculations by mathematician Gilcione Nonato, from the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

The minimum cost to complete the album is R$ 980, but the probability of achieving this without any duplicate stickers is the same as winning the Mega-Sena lottery 55 times consecutively with a single bet, according to Nonato. He explains that, on average, R$ 980 (140 packs) will be spent to actually fill the album, and another R$ 5.220 on duplicate stickers — totaling R$ 6.200.

The expansion to 48 participating teams makes this one of the largest editions in the product's history. The collection includes all the teams that qualified for the World Cup, as well as special stickers detailing aspects of the competition. The album has 112 pages, setting a new record.

Family tradition and collector strategies

The sticker craze has returned on an unprecedented scale. Last week, the start of pre-sales for the official album revealed the magnitude of the anticipation: Panini's website crashed, there was a rush for packs, and a product that is already a record-breaker.

Journalist and influencer Giovanna Attili Moura, 23, who has been collecting since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, is one of those who are going for it. Her initial strategy was not to buy the album in the pre-sale but to wait for it to arrive at newsstands. The expected release date is May 1st.

For this resident of Franca, in the interior of São Paulo, completing the World Cup sticker album is an important family tradition. It's when she gets together with her father and mother to open the little packets. It was her father, José Eduardo Moura de Jesus, 57, who encouraged her in childhood.

For her, the most memorable album is the one from 2010, from the South Africa World Cup, when her mother bought it as a surprise, and an aunt gave her 100 packets as a gift. It was a time with a different reality, when a packet cost 75 cents. The price hasn't stopped rising since then: R$1 in 2014 (Brazil); R$2 in 2018 (Russia); and R$4 in 2022 (Qatar).

Thus, the main strategy remains mutual assistance among collectors at traditional exchange points. To encourage this practice, Panini promises to hold promotions, activations, and events throughout Brazil. The schedule will be announced on the publisher's social media channels.

At this moment, two events have already been confirmed. Taking advantage of the racing boom , the publisher will hold two street races: one in Belo Horizonte and the other in São Paulo, both in May, with the theme of trading stickers. The idea is to bring collectors together after the race for this exchange. In both races, there will be a specific area for this group to gather. In addition, those who buy the premium kit will receive an album and a sticker pack. Registration is open at Tickets Sports.

The mathematics of exchanges reduces costs.

Mathematician Gilcione Nonato explains that if a group of ten people are trading stickers, the cost of duplicates tends to be divided among the group members. Therefore, each person would spend R$ 980 to complete the album and about R$ 520 on duplicate stickers, totaling R$ 1.500. The larger the group, the lower the cost of duplicate stickers.

The mathematician also calculated that to fill just one specific selection, with 20 players, a person would spend an average of R$ 3.525, equivalent to just over 500 packages. In other words, to fill just one selection, a person would buy an average of 3.500 duplicates.

— Besides reducing costs, putting together a sticker album encourages interaction between people. Trading stickers is great, it's socialization, it's a game. It's better than being stuck on social media — says Gilcione, who, along with her children, Gael and Bianca, will also have an album. — And we want to spend as little as possible, that is, less than R$ 1. And even that's a stretch (laughs).

The competition starts on June 11th. Brazil has already secured its place in the competition. Starting May 1st, collectors can purchase the albums at authorized points of sale, now including lottery outlets.

Product shipments are scheduled for the second half of May 2026. This timeframe applies to pre-orders. The system follows established standards for other products sold by the network.