Alvin and Bala had \( (26 \) stickers. Alvin had \( (8) \) more stickers than Bala. How many stickers did Bala have?

Let the number of stickers Bala has be \( x \). According to the problem, Alvin has \( 8 \) more stickers than Bala, so Alvin has \( x + 8 \) stickers. The total number of stickers they have together is \( 26 \). Therefore, we can set up the following equation: \[ x + (x + 8) = 26 \] Simplifying this equation: \[ 2x + 8 = 26 \] Next, we subtract \( 8 \) from both sides: \[ 2x = 26 - 8 \] \[ 2x = 18 \] Now, we divide both sides by \( 2 \): \[ x = \frac{18}{2} \] \[ x = 9 \] Thus, Bala has \( 9 \) stickers. To verify, if Bala has \( 9 \) stickers, then Alvin has: \[ 9 + 8 = 17 \] Adding both amounts together: \[ 9 + 17 = 26 \] This confirms that our solution is correct. Therefore, Bala has \( \boxed{9} \) stickers.