🏆 THE TROPHY: GOLD, THEFT & GLORY
PAGE 1 OF 5 — THE MOST COVETED OBJECT IN SPORT
THE PRIZE ABOVE ALL PRIZES
EIGHTEEN CARATS OF PURE GLORY
Every footballer on the planet dreams of lifting the World Cup trophy. It is the most recognised object in sport and the single greatest prize a team can win. The current trophy, which has been awarded since 1974, is made from solid eighteen-carat gold and weighs six point one seven five kilograms, more than a large bag of sugar. It stands thirty-six point eight centimetres tall, about as high as a standard ruler and a half, and shows two human figures holding up the Earth. Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga designed it and described it as representing the exultation of victory. FIFA is so protective of the real trophy that only certain people are even allowed to touch it. World Cup winners and current heads of state may hold it. Everybody else gets a gold-plated replica, not the genuine article. The real trophy lives in a guarded vault at FIFA headquarters in Zurich and travels to the World Cup under enormous security. Of all the objects that football has produced in over a hundred and fifty years of history, nothing comes close to the power and magic of this golden cup.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Only World Cup winners and sitting heads of state are permitted to hold the real FIFA World Cup trophy. Everyone else, including runners-up, receives a gold-plated replica.
GOLD!
THE SPECS
🥇 18-carat solid gold throughout
⚖️ 6.175 kg, heavier than a house brick
📐 36.8 cm tall, designed by Silvio Gazzaniga
⚖️ 6.175 kg, heavier than a house brick
📐 36.8 cm tall, designed by Silvio Gazzaniga
WHO CAN TOUCH IT
🤝 Winners and heads of state only
🏦 Real trophy kept in a vault in Zurich
🥈 Everyone else gets a gold-plated replica
🏦 Real trophy kept in a vault in Zurich
🥈 Everyone else gets a gold-plated replica