Panini has confirmed that Armando “La Hormiga” González will be added to the Mexico update set for the FIFA World Cup 2026 collection, giving the 23-year-old Chivas forward a place in the official album after he was left out of the original edition. The company also said Álvaro Fidalgo will be part of the same update set.
The announcement matters because collectors who already noticed González’s absence now know he is on the way in, and the update changes the make-up of the Mexico pages in the album. Panini framed the news in celebratory terms, writing that Armando “La Hormiga” González had completed his “jutsu” and officially joined the Mexico team in the World Cup 2026 collection.
Interest in the update has sharpened now because the World Cup countdown has moved into its final stretch and Panini is revealing which names will be added to its stickers after the first run went out without González. He was not in the original Panini album even though he made Javier Aguirre’s final list, a gap that stood out to fans following Mexico’s attacking options.
That omission is what gives the update set its edge. Up to the start of this year, Germán Berterame was another striker option Aguirre had to manage, while Raúl Jiménez remains Mexico’s starting center forward for the tournament. González’s inclusion does not rewrite that depth chart, but it does restore him to the official collecting set after the first album missed him.
Panini has not given a specific sale date for the update sets, only saying they will arrive very soon and asking fans to watch its social channels for details on how to get Fidalgo’s sticker. The company’s broader plan also extends beyond Mexico, with updates that will include Neymar, while its agreement with FIFA is set to run through the 2030 World Cup.
For Mexico collectors, the answer is simple: La Hormiga Gonzalez will be in the album after all. What remains unresolved is when the update will hit stores, and Panini is keeping that part of the reveal for later.
