The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police seized about 200,000 counterfeit 2026 World Cup Panini stickers as well as hundreds of fake Brazil national team Nike jerseys on Thursday night in Nova Iguaçu, Brazil. At a press conference on Friday, law enforcement officials said the investigation into who produced the items is ongoing and everything confiscated would be destroyed after being analyzed.
While counterfeit collectibles are nothing new, collectors may be more susceptible to buying fake 2026 World Cup stickers because of the sharp rise in the number required to complete the Panini album for the expanded tournament. As the World Cup moves from 32 teams to 48, a total of 980 stickers are needed to fill the 2026 album versus 670 for the 2022 album.
What should sticker collectors look for to ensure they don’t fall for fakes?
The Rio Civil Police shared their findings in the video embedded below. Here are some fake sticker tells, but keep in mind that fakes can come in many different forms, with some more convincing than others:
Fake stickers can have a thicker paper stock than the real ones
They can have a different, coarser texture than the real stickers
The image quality may not be as sharp
They can have a blank back instead of the official Panini printing
A COPA NEM COMEÇOU E A POLÍCIA CIVIL JÁ DEU CARTÃO VERMELHO PRO CRIME! 🟥👊🚫
A Polícia Civil deteve a comercialização de aproximadamente 200 mil figurinhas falsificadas da Copa do Mundo FIFA de 2026.
Panini World Cup stickers are in high demand, so if you find them significantly cheaper than retail prices ($2 per pack, $100 for a box of 50 packs), there’s a strong chance they’re fake. As with everything, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
PDF files with images of every sticker in the collection, including players unexpectedly named to rosters who aren’t in the official album (such as Neymar), are circulating online so people can print them out onto blank sticker paper at home and complete albums that way.
Meanwhile, the rarest versions of the real stickers can command serious money on the open market. The black-bordered, one-of-a-kind parallel of Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup sticker sold for $139,200 at auction in March 2023. Many of the rarest 2026 World Cup stickers have yet to surface, so the highest known sale of one so far is a purple-bordered parallel (which land at an average of one in every 200 packs) of Messi, which sold for $1,600 on May 20.
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Substitute Yoane Wissa scored twice to give Matthias Jaissle a winning start as Newcastle boss with a 2-1 comeback pre-season win at 10-man Valencia.
But the friendly at the Mestalla threatened to be overshadowed by Jose Gaya’s red-card horror tackle on Anthony Elanga, which saw the Newcastle winger stretchered off in the first half and led to both sets of players clashing.
Fortunately for the Sweden international, his injury does not appear to be serious, with Elanga later up and walking after a contusion to the shin.
Image: Tempers flared after Jose Gaya’s challenge saw Anthony Elanga stretchered off
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Jaissle was “relaxed” over Elanga’s injury.
The German said: “It seems to be not bad, so we are pleased. I hope it’s true, then he can start again next week.”
He added: “Of course I was in fear [it was a serious injury], definitely, but now I’m more relaxed as the medical department is showing almost green lights, and there’s nothing serious.”
Jaissle’s next pre-season test will come on Wednesday as his new side face Everton at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.
Image: Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade (left) started at the Mestalla
Wissa’s fresh start under Jaissle
Sky Sports News’ Keith Downie at the Mestalla:
“A good end to a positive week in Spain for Newcastle – and a trophy for Jaissle in his first match in charge as they lift the ‘Orange Cup’.
“Some impressive signs from new signings Aladji Bamba, Steur and Toure.
“Newcastle’s travelling fans sent home from The Mestalla with a spring in their step.
“One major positive was Wissa’s performance.
“Newcastle really need him to come good this season. It was a huge £55m outlay on a 29-year-old, and last season was a nightmare for him.
“He looks sharp and is coming off a good World Cup showing. Maybe this could be a fresh start for the striker.”
Jaissle keeping ‘balanced’ after debut win
Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle speaking at his post-match press conference:
“First of all, I’m really happy that there are no serious injuries. Anthony, we are happy, and it seems to be okay, actually – that was the most important thing.
“Of course, winning games always helps to gain confidence, but we also knew that we had a hard week behind us. The players did well in the camp; there was a pure commitment in each session.
“We had a hard load, so therefore now we deserve two days off, and then we start again.
“It was a friendly today; we will not smash the locker room now and celebrate a lot.
“We’re quite balanced; we know what it is about. Now it’s pre-season, and we’re still looking to work on it.
“It’s just a journey; we don’t want to hang onto that.
“The victory is higher than it is, but also we don’t see the losses lower than it is then, so we should be quite balanced in our approach.
“We should just analyse the situation and develop from there, and that’s what we’re going to do.
“Now next week, there are things we need to work on, definitely.”
Ireland’s Aaron McKenna defeated Etinosa Oliha to become a middleweight world champion.
For McKenna this fight in Dublin was a dream homecoming. The Irish middleweight had pursued his career across America, sparring in some of the world’s best gyms and amassing an undefeated pro record.
This contest, for the vacant IBF middleweight title, was his first world title fight and his first professional contest in Ireland.
With brother Stevie taking a spectacular knockout earlier, McKenna made a memorable entrance, wildly cheered into the ring by the 3Arena crowd, so loudly that the floor was almost rumbling.
But he didn’t let emotions carry him away at the start of the fight. He edged forward onto the front foot, feinting. He timed a left hook as Oliha, unbeaten himself coming in, stepped to him.
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Aaron McKenna had an incredible entrance ahead of his IBF world middleweight title fight with Etinosa Oliha, first coming into Sinead O’Connor’s The Foggy Dew and then Faithless’ Insomnia!
McKenna let his jab flicker out. His hands were quick, his right streaked in and McKenna used his left hook to let a cross blast through.
But the Italian wrested the second round his way, thumping through right hooks, punches McKenna felt, to show that he too could launch meaningful attacks.
McKenna ground forward, stifling his own long-range work but bodily forcing Oliha back.
When he did strike his opponent with a reaching right, the crowd roared and as the fight progressed into its second half McKenna did move more on his toes, darting back to scrape his left hook into the side of Oliha’s head.
The Italian looked to rip hooks into him but McKenna marshalled him to the ropes and slugged Oliha with a left hook.
Image: McKenna and Oliha were both unbeaten coming into this world title fight
McKenna imposed himself again in the ninth round but Oliha, a solid operator, showed little sign of wilting.
In the 10th round McKenna circled out and reeled off double jabs. As they grappled in a clinch though, Oliha unleashed a flurry that caught the Irishman.
McKenna briefly put space between them with a cross to the chin. He scored to the body with thudding right hooks too.
Oliha charged from his corner with a long one-two to start the 11th round. With flashier work, McKenna landed a left uppercut off his jab. Oliha though hacked back at him with a right hook up close.
McKenna continued to punch in greater volume. A clash saw him cut on the forehead just before the end of the 11th. He trusted in a hefty right hook as a response.
Image: McKenna tears into Oliha.
He didn’t want or need to take risks in the last round. He moved sharply, striking an increasingly desperate Oliha with jabs and the crowd all around him stood up cheering, clapping and chanting his name.
McKenna worked an uppercut, Oliha drove in a right but even when McKenna took shots he didn’t let them shake him as he closed out a unanimous decision.
When that final bell chimed, McKenna rushed to the corner post and jumped up onto the ropes to celebrate.
As soon as the words “from Monaghan” were declared by the ring announcer, confirming McKenna a 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 victor, the arena burst into deafening cheers once again.
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Aaron McKenna was in buoyant mood after beating Etinosa Oliha to become IBF world middleweight champion in front of his home crowd in Dublin.
“A new world champion. I’ve been saying it for years. A big thank you to Zuffa Boxing for giving me this platform and bringing a fight back to Ireland for me,” McKenna beamed afterwards.
“I’ve been a professional for nine years and never got the chance to fight in Ireland. Why? Just look at these beautiful fans.
“I never lost discipline in training. There were times when I wondered whether I’d ever get the chance.
“My dad [their trainer] sacrificed his whole life for me and my brother, dedicating everything to helping us chase our dreams.
Beau Hossler leads the field at the 2026 Wyndham Championship after three rounds of play, with a score of -16. Play continues at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC, watch the fourth round to see how the action plays out.
11:50 a.m. ET: Joel Dahmen (-8/21st), Sungjae Im (-8/21st)
12 p.m. ET: Jordan Spieth (-8/21st), Justin Thomas (-8/21st)
12:10 p.m. ET: Webb Simpson (-8/21st), Ben Kohles (-8/21st)
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