Why Panini Just Made the Smartest Move of the 2026 World Cup

An iconic Italian voice meets an iconic Italian brand for football's biggest moment.

Some projects feel right the moment they land on the desk.

When Panini came to us, they already knew who they wanted: Fabrizio Romano. Our job was to make it happen.

An iconic Italian voice. An equally iconic Italian brand. Both built on the same nostalgia and football culture that shaped how generations fell in love with the game. After six months behind the scenes, it's surreal to see it live.

A Ritual That Started in 1970

Panini's first World Cup sticker album launched at Mexico 1970, and every tournament since has had its own. Italia '90. USA '94. France '98. Germany 2006. For millions of fans, the foil packet is the World Cup, the countdown made tangible long before kickoff.

The 2026 edition is the largest in the brand's 56-year history. 980 stickers. 112 pages. All 48 qualified teams. The first World Cup ever hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

This isn't a sponsorship. It's a tradition.

Why Fabrizio Was the Only Voice That Made Sense

When a brand with this much cultural weight chooses one voice to anchor a global campaign, the choice has to be right. Get it wrong and it feels like a celebrity drop-in. Get it right and it feels like a continuation.

In the 1970s, fans found out who played for Brazil by collecting the stickers. In 2026, they found out by following Fabrizio. Same job, different decade.

"Here we go" is more than a catchphrase. It’s a meme, a TikTok sound, a tattoo even. You can't manufacture that, the same way you can't manufacture the cultural footprint Panini has built over 50+ years.

Italian. Iconic. Modern. Honest. He fits.

The Cast That Bridges 50 Years of Football Fandom

The campaign also features Roberto Baggio, the legend, the ponytail, USA '94, the sticker so many of us chased as kids, and Harry Kane, current-era superstar and England captain, all under the FIFA World Cup 2026 banner.

Three generations of football fandom in one campaign. Heritage. Present. And the voice that connects them.

The campaign rolled out in two beats. A quiet, almost cryptic teaser of Fabrizio came first, hinting at something different. Football fans are used to seeing him break transfer news, so a clip without a "here we go" had people guessing in the comments within hours. Then the full launch landed. Fabrizio in full Panini world, alongside the rest of the cast. The reaction was instant. Fans tagged friends. Shared memories of past albums. Started counting down to the summer.

That's the test of a campaign like this. Not impressions. Not reach. Reactivation of memory.
Teaser → https://www.instagram.com/p/DXcJtQ0Ipfi/

Full campaign → https://www.instagram.com/p/DXpBwchIx