World Cup Sends Soccer Toy Sales Up 160%, Mexico Leads the Sticker Frenzy

The World Cup just turned soccer cards into a $45-million-a-month business, and Mexico is leading the charge.

Global sales of soccer-related toys surged 160 percent between January and April 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to data from Circana, the consumer analysis firm that tracks 12 major markets. The growth is being driven by collectible cards, construction sets, and action figures — and Mexico is buying more Panini stickers than anyone on Earth.

During April, Mexico actually outpaced the United States in collectible card sales for the FIFA World Cup 2026 collection. When Panini dropped its official sticker album on April 30, it became the best-selling toy in Mexico by volume in its first week. Lines formed outside stores. Kids traded duplicates on school playgrounds. Adults pretended they were buying them for their children.

The numbers tell a story that goes beyond nostalgia. Soccer-related products now represent 9 percent of total sports toy sales, up from 4 percent a year ago. Collectible cards account for 44 percent of the global soccer toy market. Construction sets like the LEGO FIFA World Cup Trophy claim 25 percent. Action figures and plush toys fill the rest.

That's a dramatic shift from 2022, when more than 80 percent of soccer toy sales worldwide came from trading cards alone. The market has diversified, and fast. The LEGO Editions FIFA World Cup Official Trophy set is the number one construction toy in the United States by revenue. Zuru's World Cup Mystery Capsule is the second-best-selling action figure in the country.

The "World Soccer" franchise now ranks as the third-largest growth property in the global toy industry, behind only Pokémon and Super Mario. Monthly sales hit $45 million in April. That's not a World Cup bump. That's a structural change in how fans spend money on the sport they love.

Circana's global toy advisor Frédérique Tutt called it a "much wider ecosystem of football-inspired products gaining relevance across different age groups and product categories." Translation: it's not just kids buying cards anymore. Adults are collecting. Parents are building LEGO sets with their children. The World Cup has turned soccer fandom into a consumer category that extends well beyond the stadium.

During the 2022 World Cup, sales across Circana's 12 monitored markets totaled $258 million. With the tournament now being played across three countries and 48 teams, that number is on track to blow past it. The United States leads in overall spending. The United Kingdom is second. Mexico is third, but first in enthusiasm — at least when it comes to stickers.

The question for the toy industry is whether this growth is a World Cup sugar high or a lasting shift. History suggests the sugar high. Toy sales spike during major tournaments and drop off after. But the diversification into construction sets, figures, and plush toys suggests something different this time. The market is broader, the product range is deeper, and the fan base is spending across more categories.

Panini's success in Mexico is particularly telling. The Italian company has dominated soccer collectibles for decades, but its April 30 launch in Mexico was the biggest in the brand's history. The first-week sales numbers broke records. In a country where soccer is a religion, the sticker album is scripture.

The World Cup is still young. Mexico's tournament has just begun. But the toy industry already has its answer: this World Cup is different. Not because the soccer is better, but because the business around it is bigger, more diverse, and more global than anything the sport has produced before.