FIFA World Cup Trophy

The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most coveted trophy, weighing in at 6.175kgs it is 36.5 cms tall and made of 5 kgs of 18 carat solid gold (75%) with a base containing two layers of semi-precious malachite.

The Jules Rimet trophy was the original prize awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup, but it was to be kept by Brazil in perpetuity after they won the FIFA World Cup for the third time in Mexico (1970). Originally known as the Coupe du Monde or World Cup, the trophy was renamed in 1946 to honor the FIFA president Jules Rimet who had passed a vote to initiate the tournament in 1929. The Jules Rimet trophy was sculpted by the famed French sculptor Abel Lafleur, made of solid gold with a blue base of lapis lazuli, the trophy weighed in at 3.8kgs and was 35 cms tall. The base was an octagonal cup made of lapis lazuli on which stood a magnificent winged figure that represented Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory. The trophy was stolen twice, once in England while on display at the Westminster Central Hall, after which it was recovered, then again on 19th December 1983 from Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. The trophy was never recovered and is believed to have been melted down.

The present FIFA World Cup trophy was commissioned by FIFA for the 1974 World Cup. It was sculpted by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga. The trophy was produced by Bertoni, Milano.

In the words of the sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, “The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory." The year and name of every country that won the trophy since 1974 has been engraved on the bottom of the trophy and is not visible when the trophy is kept upright. The award was first presented to Franz Beckenbauer the West German Captain after winning the 1974 FIFA World Cup. FIFA’s regulations now state that the trophy cannot be won outright, the winners of the trophy are allowed to keep only a gold plated replica rather than the original one made of solid gold.

The list of winners for both the trophies awarded at the FIFA World Cup is given below.