If you are a soccer fan, you are already well aware of the coming World Cup in Qatar. It will take place on November 21-December 18. Panini Italy makes a good deal of its money from World Cup-related products, which are mainstays for soccer collectors. We look at their new release and present you with the Panini Road To Qatar review.
On a personal note, I grew up collecting soccer stickers. So, these releases are incredibly fun for me to write about.
Before Panini America cornered the NBA and NFL market, the Italian parent company became the soccer sticker giant. Soccer cards are getting very popular in the US, and American collectors should get to know this important release.
In particular, it gained a massive following through releases of its World Cup sticker albums. For decades, kids around the world would trade stickers in fervent attempts to complete the albums. There was always that one Uruguayan defender missing to complete your set!
In 2014, Panini expanded the international sticker release to include the qualification process. Since then, the Italian sticker giant has released a “Road To” album covering the qualification before releasing the marquee album for the tournament. The sets are released once every four years, about a year before the tournament.
The release itself is a bit workmanlike. The stickers are all similar looking and are sparse with shiny designs. Most of the album is based around the various national teams, with stickers for around 15 players on each. Overall, there are 600 stickers in the set. So completing it can be quite a task.
There is also a pretty cool (this release brings out the eight-year-old in me) middle page where you can create your own dream team using stickers from the release.
The set is centered on the album (get the album on eBay)
Qualification for the tournament is not yet complete. Therefore, Panini had to engage in some guesswork when putting together the album. So, here are the teams they determined are most likely to qualify and/or attract consumers.
Most of the strong teams are represented, including the USA (get USA Road to Qatar stickers on eBay)
Adrenalyn XL is a different concept from the traditional Panini sticker. First released in 2009, it has seen releases for several markets since.
The stickers are used in a card game. It has proven quite popular in both Europe and South America.
The Road to Qatar release is part of the FIFA (international football) set of Adrenalyn XL cards. Here is the complete list of current Panini Adrenalyn XL sets:
Each team comes with 18 players.
The release comes in binders rather than an album. Since Panini Adrenalyn XL is a game rather than a collector set, each card must remain accessible. In addition, each binder has room for 9 players. Therefore, a team takes up two pages in the binder.
How 2022 World Cup rookies fared through the Group Stage
Panini Adrenalyn XL has cool categories to set unique and beneficial cards apart from the commons. Here are the types:
These cards refer to the largest and strongest players on each team. In addition, they often have the highest defensive ratings in the lineup.
Here is the complete list of these cards:
These cards describe the most creative player on the team. The one most likely to act as a playmaker and set up assists.
Magicians are the players who make things happen (look for these cards on eBay)
The Fan Favorite cards are more common than the other designations, with three per team. The status of these players has less to do with their capabilities than other designations. It is more of a recognition of their popularity.
Players with a strong knack for scoring. Think of someone like Polish striker Robert Lewandowski or French goal-poacher Karim Benzema.
The players in this list are the wonder kids with a chance to break out in the Qatar World Cup. I very much agree with the selection, especially Cardlines favorite Kai Havertz.
Is Jude Bellingham a future super star? (look for more rising stars on eBay)
The sort of creative players that can alter a game with one touch. Players who can slice a defense apart with either a pass or a dribble.
The rare cards are available with the following odds.
Players are among the top 20 in the world but a notch below the Invincibles. I was surprised to see Messi here behind Ronaldo. Messi fans will be rightfully outraged!
The best players in the game, those with the highest scores, are known as the Invincibles. They include world-beating stars.
3. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)
Each player is given a rating based on their estimated real-life playing capabilities. The numerical ratings appear in the top left-hand corner of each card.
Ratings are made on a scale of 1-100. The categories are:
The cards also showcase the positions of the players. You can find the position on the back of the Adrenalyn XL cards. However, they do not get too specific positions (so they won’t tell you who a right-sided defender is, for example). Instead, they are provided with general field placements:
The aim is to score more goals than your opponent.
Adrenylyn XL is a really fun game (picture taken from Panini)
When attacking, you compare the ratings of your player against those of the defending player.
There is little to talk about in terms of value for these releases. The Road To series is popular with soccer fans. However, they do not treat them as collector items. Instead, it is a fun set to collect or play with (in the case of the Adrenalyn XL releases).
Let’s look at how albums from previous years have held value.
| World Cup | Album + Full Set |
| Road to Brazil 2014 | $89 |
| Road to Russia 2014 | $79 |
The Road to Qatar is an entertaining set to complete. They are a great way to get psyched up for the biggest tournament in the soccer world (and probably the sports world more generally). After writing this, I am pretty sure I will buy a set. But don’t expect to get any value out of it. Panini massively produces these for kids all around the world.
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