A global World Cup tradition catches fire in the U.S.: Panini sticker collecting

Key points

• A global World Cup tradition catches fire in the U.S.: Panini sticker collecting toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images NEW YORK — In Brian Sanchez's slice of Astoria, the FIFA World Cup doesn't begin with the first match.
• It starts weeks earlier, with the arrival of a sticker album — and a mission.
• It's a deceptively simple one: Fill the book with all the stickers representing World Cup teams, players, venues and other tournament details.
• But these stickers are sold in blind packs, similar to baseball or Pokémon cards, which adds to the fun and the headaches.
• Sanchez, 20, has tried to complete the task before but never succeeded.