How Expensive s it to fill the Panini album for the Qatar 2022 World Cup in Latin America?

Every four years the World Cup is organized and that is a source of joy for millions of people in the world. Beyond what it means to experience said tournament, a pastime that has remained in force over the years is to fill the respective Panini album with the participating teams , something that is already all the rage a few months after the start of Qatar 2022. However, in Latin America, it is not easy to accomplish such a feat.

Since the end of August it is already possible to purchase the album in its different forms, soft cover or hard cover, and the figurines, either in individual envelopes or by box. Depending on the Latin American country, the album can consist of 638 or 670 stickers, of which 50 are special. And it is that Panini, for the first time, added some unpublished collectibles of players in action and represented in different color tones.

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The tradition of filling the World Cup album has a particular magic and does not distinguish in age, gender or if the country in question will not be present at the tournament. At the end of the day, it's all about completing it, sharing it with friends and/or strangers to exchange repeated figurines, live the emotion of the moment, and save it for the memory. But how much money do you have to invest? Is it really worth the financial sacrifice?

As many know, Latin America has suffered strong inflation in the last four years, a scenario that does not seem to matter to the most fanatical. To find out the odds of filling out the Qatar 2022 Panini album, we will take as a basis the mathematical formula of a Cardiff University professor, Paul Harper, who made his calculations four years ago with the Russia 2018 album.

So, divide 638 (total number of stickers) by five (number of stickers in an envelope) for a total of 127.6. Then, 128 (packages needed) is multiplied by the price of the individual envelope of each country. Of course, the chances of them not coming out twice are nil, so according to Harper, a person would need about 904 envelopes to fill it on their own, without trading with others.

Argentina

The football culture in Argentina is one of the largest in Latin America. And it is that shortly after the Panini album went on sale, several people reported a shortage of envelopes in traditional kiosks. Likewise, it should be added that the country suffers from high inflation in various basic products, something that has also been transferred in this area. In fact, according to the specialized site Registered Marketing, prices compared to the last world increased by up to 1000%.

The individual envelopes have a value of 150 pesos ($1.10), the album 750 pesos ($5.40) and the hardcover album 3,000 pesos ($21.65). Taking Harper's calculations into account, an Argentine would have to invest approximately 136,350 pesos ($983.35) between the album and the 904 packages. Such prices sound even more exaggerated when the minimum wage is 47,850 pesos ($345).

Colombia

Despite not being present at the World Cup event, all of Colombia is immersed in the culture of collecting the Panini album. According to Lina Bolívar, manager of the Panini Colombia Business Line, commented at a press conference, 400,000 albums will be distributed throughout the territory, and the first ones who can fill it will have the possibility of choosing great prizes.

Regarding prices, the envelopes are worth 3,500 pesos ($0.80), the album is 9,900 pesos ($2.25), the hardcover version is 34,900 pesos ($7.90) and the box with 104 packages is 364,000 pesos ($82.20). . So, a Colombian would spend just over 3 million pesos ($677.25), which is equivalent to three minimum wages ($225.75).

Mexico

Mexico is experiencing a situation similar to that of Argentina, as there has been considerable inflation since 2018 of 23%, according to the country's National Institute of Statistics and Geography. In addition, when comparing the prices of the 2018 Russia World Cup, for this edition there is an increase of more than 50%. It is also worth mentioning that the Panini album here brings 670 figures, in contrast to the 638 of other Latin American countries.

Remembering that the minimum wage is 5,258 pesos ($261), a Mexican would be spending 16,361 pesos ($810.65) between the album and the 904 packages. As for the individual prices, the envelopes are 18 pesos ($0.90), the album is 89 pesos ($4.40), the hardcover version is 247 pesos ($12.25), and the box with 104 envelopes is 1,872 pesos ($92). .75).

Peru

Another country that will enjoy the passion for the World Cup is Peru, whose team was eliminated in the playoff phase. However, some will not miss the opportunity to try to complete the Panini Qatar 2022 album, which compared to four years ago has had a price increase of 40% to 60%. In fact, according to experts in the country, filling it would cost up to 36% more this year.

The price of the individual envelopes is 3 soles (0.77), the album is 7 soles ($1.81), the hardcover version is 40 soles ($10.38), while the box with 104 packets is 300 soles ($77, 88). When making the respective calculation, a Peruvian would have to invest 2,720 soles ($706.20) to complete the album on his own. However, it should be noted that the minimum wage is 1,025 soles ($267).

Venezuela

Despite being the only country in Latin America that has not been present at a World Cup, Venezuela is characterized by passionately living these dates. The problem to achieve the feat of completing the album is in the economic crisis, because as many know, the country remains in constant inflation. Just to mention, in 2018 half the minimum wage was required to buy just the album.

Now, although most things are referenced to the dollar, it still takes a lot of effort to acquire them. The price of the envelope is $1, the album is $4, the hardcover version is $12, and the box of 104 packs is $100. Therefore, a Venezuelan need to spend just over $900 to fill it, a stratospheric figure if we place it next to the $22 minimum wage.