As the world's most popular sport takes center stage in New Jersey this summer, Rutgers Global is creating a unique opportunity for the university community to connect through one of soccer's most cherished traditions.
With matches from the FIFA World Cup drawing fans from across the globe to the region, Rutgers Global is inviting students, faculty, staff, and community members to participate in a Panini World Cup Sticker Album exchange—a tradition that has united generations of soccer enthusiasts worldwide.
Throughout the remainder of the tournament, Rutgers Global will host informal sticker swap gatherings at The Yard, where World Cup matches are being shown on the big screen. Participants are encouraged to bring duplicate stickers, trade with fellow collectors, and share in a global pastime that extends far beyond the game itself.
Dates and Times:
Friday, July 3: 12:00 – 5:00 pm
Monday, July 6: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Tuesday, July 7: 11:00 – 6:00 pm
Thursday, July 8: 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Saturday, July 11: 3:00 – 7:00 pm
For many around the world, soccer serves as a universal language that transcends borders, cultures, and backgrounds.
That sentiment resonates deeply with Rutgers Global Peace Corps Recruiter Pablo Arenas Gallo, whose life experiences have demonstrated the power of soccer to build connections across communities.
Born in Colombia, raised in Brazil, and later serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Eswatini, Arenas Gallo has witnessed firsthand how the sport creates opportunities for dialogue, friendship, and understanding.
“Some of my earliest memories involve gathering with family and neighbors to watch matches,” he said. “Years later, I experienced that same sense of connection while organizing Grassroot Soccer camps in Eswatini, where soccer became a platform for discussing health, leadership, gender equality, and HIV prevention with local youth.”
Across continents, soccer fields often function as community gathering spaces where people come together despite differences in language, nationality, religion, or political beliefs. The sport creates shared experiences that foster belonging and mutual understanding.
The Panini sticker album tradition reflects those same values.
Since Panini released its first FIFA World Cup sticker album in 1970, fans have spent months collecting player stickers, searching for elusive missing pieces, and negotiating trades with friends, classmates, coworkers, and even strangers. Completing an album is famously difficult without help from others, making collaboration and conversation essential parts of the experience.
As Arenas Gallo notes, “In many ways, the tradition mirrors the mission of Rutgers Global—encouraging curiosity about the world, fostering meaningful intercultural exchange, and creating opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to connect.”
He added, “At a time when many interactions occur online and within familiar circles, the simple act of trading stickers offers a reminder of the value of face-to-face engagement and community building.”
Whether through local pickup games, international tournaments, or sticker swaps among fans, soccer continues to bring people together in powerful and unexpected ways.
So, join Rutgers Global at sticker swap gatherings at The Yard, watch matches alongside fellow fans, meet someone new, and participate in a global tradition that has connected soccer lovers across generations and around the world!
