Brazilians hit by sticker fever as World Cup nears

The frenzy over the World Cup sticker album has taken over Brazil like never before.

Brazilians have long been avid fans of World Cup albums, but this year there’s added motivation with football’s showcase event coming to their own backyard.

Everybody is talking stickers, from kids to grown-ups and students to doctors. Even Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has joined in the fun.

Fans have set up trading places in front of stadiums, plazas and bookstores to swap their stickers and try to complete their sets.

Brazil led all countries in sales during the 2010 World Cup and this time numbers are already better than they were four years ago, according to the FIFA-picked company in charge of the album, Italy-based Panini.