The FIFA World Cup Trophy is one of the finest in men’s sport.
It is the piece of silverware that every footballer grows up wanting to get their hands on. But, as the tournament only comes around once every four years, only a select few are able to lift it high above their heads.
With just a week until it will be the focus of attention for TV cameras across the planet, The Athletic explores everything there is to know about the World Cup trophy (and its predecessor).
Do the World Cup winners keep the trophy?
Unfortunately, the winners of the World Cup are not allowed to keep the trophy.
You might think that the victors would be able to keep the trophy in their possession until the competition is played again four years later but that is not the case.
In the past, it was very different. Winners would keep the trophy from the day they were awarded it until the day of the final draw for the next tournament.
Advertisement
But, because of a number of concerns over its safety — which I’ll come onto later — it largely stays in one location.
Read more: World Cup 2022 prize money: What payout will France or Argentina receive for winning in Qatar?
Instead of being able to keep the official trophy, each winning team is given a gold-plate bronze replica. This is referred to as the World Cup Winners’ Trophy rather than just the World Cup Trophy.
As a result of winning it three times, Brazil were allowed to keep the original trophy, as per the wishes of Jules Rimet. However, the same sentiment has not been upheld for the newer trophy.
Had it been the same, Germany would have kept the World Cup Trophy in 2014 after also lifting it in 1974 and 1990.
Where is the World Cup Trophy kept?
The World Cup Trophy is kept at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
The only time it leaves its home is on occasions that FIFA deems worthy. You will be glad to hear that two of those occasions are the first and last games of the finals, the latter for when it is awarded to the winning team.
The trophy also leaves its casing for the tournament draw where it is given pride of place as the groups are learned a few months before each World Cup.
To ensure fans have the chance to feast their eyes on one of sport’s finest honours, there is an official global tour during every tournament cycle.
Ahead of this year, the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour visited all 32 of the nations that qualified for the Qatar tournament. FIFA aims to show the trophy to each of its member states by 2030, the year of the 23rd World Cup.
Do the players keep mini trophy replicas?
Every member of the squads who finish first, second or third at the World Cup will receive a medal. For most players, only a gold one is worthwhile but the runners-up and winners in the third-place play-off will still have a medal placed around their necks.
Advertisement
As well as a gold winners’ medal, the players from the victorious team have been known to receive a mini replica of the World Cup trophy.
Read more: Why has World Cup final pitch been relaid?
At the last World Cup, in Russia, Jurgen Klinsmann claimed that each of the France players would all receive a mini replica as well as the medal. Although, it is unclear whether those are awarded by FIFA or by the football association of the winning nation.
What is the World Cup trophy made of?
With Brazil keeping the Jules Rimet trophy in 1970, a new trophy had to be commissioned for the following tournament in Germany. FIFA launched a competition and received 53 submissions from around the world.
They chose the design submitted by Silvio Gazzaniga and the Italian’s creation is the trophy held in such high esteem today.
The trophy is 14.4 inches in height with a base 5.1 inches wide and it weighs just over 13 pounds. That weight has led to plenty of questions about whether the trophy is hollow because it if were solid gold, it would be expected to weigh more than 150 pounds.
While it is likely hollow, the trophy does still contain a lot of gold: 30,875 Carats of 18 karat gold to be precise.
The two emerald green-coloured bands that loop around the base of the trophy are made of malachite.
How much is the World Cup trophy worth?
When FIFA informed Gazzaniga that his design had been chosen for the World Cup Trophy, it was rumoured to have cost around $50,000 to produce.
Fast forward almost half a decade and that cost would be closer to $250,000 with the current price of gold.
While it is rather simple to calculate the production cost, working out the sale price is significantly more complex.
For reference, the shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal sold for more than £7million ($8.6m) at auction back in May.
Advertisement
If the World Cup Trophy was to ever reach an auction — which is extremely unlikely — it would almost certainly fetch tens of millions.
Valuations a few years ago suggested it may be worth somewhere in the region of $20million (£16.3m) which makes it almost certainly the most expensive trophy in sport.
What happened to the Jules Rimet Trophy?
As far as trophies go, the original trophy that was given to winners of the World Cup had an eventful lifespan.
Initially called ‘Victory’, it was renamed in 1946 to the Jules Rimet Trophy in honour of FIFA’s long-serving president who passed the vote to introduce the global tournament.
After being given to Uruguay and Italy (twice) between 1930 and 1938, it was hidden during the Second World War in a shoebox under the bed of Ottorino Barassi. FIFA’s vice-president took that evasive action to avoid it falling into the wrong hands.
When it re-emerged after the war, it was successfully handed to four more winners and kept in safe hands. That was until 1966 when it was stolen during a public exhibition in London just a few months ahead of the World Cup.
It was, luckily, found a week later.
A dog named Pickles was credited with finding one of the world’s most iconic trophies at the bottom of a garden in south London. Almost exactly four months later, Queen Elizabeth II handed it to England captain Bobby Moore.
Four years later, Brazil picked up the Jules Rimet Trophy for the final time. As they had won the World Cup for a record-breaking third time, they they became the permanent holders of the trophy.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) headquarters in Rio de Janeiro was where it was kept, in a cabinet fronted with bulletproof glass. It was, however, lost forever in December 1983 when it was stolen from its cabinet. Rumours have since spread that it was melted down and sold.
Following that series of events, it is not hard to see why FIFA are so keen to protect their current trophy.
(Top photo:
