The swap shops trying to meet demand in the World Cup sticker hunt

You can almost smell the desire to get this mammoth task finished from Zac's family - as his mom, Michelle, said: "It's just taken over our lives."

She is very much not alone during this World Cup, when it comes to achieving that most coveted of prizes, a complete 2026 Panini World Cup album.

Mbappe, Kane, Haaland, Bellingham, Messi and Ronaldo… an elusive line-up on the pitch, but off it they are just as sought after by sticker book collectors.

"It's just been a bit crazy. You just end up doing crazy things, like driving all over the place," Michelle admits.

The longest drive they have made from their home in West Bromwich, in the West Midlands, was to Northampton to collect 35 stickers.

With 48 teams in this expanded World Cup, Panini's album is its biggest yet and 980 stickers need collecting to fill it.

Demand has been so high that supermarkets and shops regularly sell out, frustrating collectors.

One way to help collectors achieve their goal is through groups on social media, with swaps agreed and stickers then sent off in the post.

This does mean extra costs and collectors have to trust the other side will complete their part of the deal.

Now, shops like The Entertainer are hosting swap shops, so keen sticker seekers can come along on set days and times to meet other collectors, in a safe and friendly environment for swapsies.

Such events will continue in stores until 16 July, managers at the Entertainer said.

In its branch in the Bullring in Birmingham, 12-year-old Zac came with his nan Mandy, on the off-chance he might get the two remaining stickers he needed to complete his album.

Five minutes later and he was excited, having found one of the two he needed.

He has had help from across the generations as, like many families, they have all pitched in - from his great-grandmother, 85-year old Doreen and his nan, as well as his mom.

Elsewhere in the store, 10-year-old Ben arrived with mom Sarah and it was the first time he had had a Panini sticker album.

His attention was firmly on adding to his England squad collection and, by the time he left the shop, he needed only three more stickers to complete the team.

The store might be in Birmingham but the fans have come from all over, hunting their elusive stickers.

Jayden came from London, stopping off en route to visit family.

He had only just started collecting the stickers and thought he would pop into this store on the off-chance they would have some he wanted.

The 14-year-old admitted it was a challenge buying stickers: "Like saying it's so hard, it's like an understatement.

"It costs so much money as well, finding them is so rare, it's so hard for me."

He was hoping to find the sticker for his favourite player, Manchester City and Norway star Erling Haaland.

Returning to Zac, on his mission to find his final sticker to complete the album and it did not take long.

While looking on the swap shop table, covered in hundreds of stickers, another collector found what he was looking for and handed it over to Zac - Haiti's Jean-Kevin Duverne.

"I'm overwhelmed." says Zac, with a shocked look on his face. He said he would keep the album as a memory.

Billions of stickers have been made by Panini across the globe but the firm said it would keep printing this tournament's while there was still demand.

But there will be only one more Panini World Cup album after this - for 2030's tournament.

Its 60-year partnership with Fifa will come to an end as the governing body has signed a new deal with US firm Fanatics, owner of the collectibles brand Topps.

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