Find out all you need to know about the World Cup trophy.
Jenna West | Jul 14, 2018
At the conclusion of each World Cup, one lucky team gets to hoist the gold FIFA World Cup Trophy in the air and celebrate winning soccer's biggest event.
The illustrious trophy gleams under the stadium lights, considering it's made of 18-carat gold. It weighs 13.54 pounds and is 14.5 inches tall.
In 2018, the World Cup trophy arrived in Moscow in style in a custom Louis Vuitton case.
The current trophy is actually the second creation of the prize. The original trophy, the Jules Rimet Cup, was named after the founding father of the World Cup in 1946. Its design featured a goddess of victory holding a vessel above her head.
FIFA originally had a rule stating that any team that wins the World Cup three times became permanent owners of the trophy. Surprisingly, teams that win the World Cup don't get to keep the prize. Teams are given a gold-plated replica to keep, which is called the FIFA World Cup Winners' Trophy.
Brazil became the owners of the trophy in 1970, causing FIFA to commission the making of a new one for the next World Cup. The trophy was also stolen on two occasions, first in 1966, when it was found and recovered by David Corbett and his dog, Pickles, in London. It was stolen again in 1983 in Brazil and was never recovered. A replica was presented to the Brazilian federation the following year.
According to FIFA:
The Jules Rimet Cup had an eventful history, beginning with a period spent hidden in a box under a bed during World War II. It was later stolen in 1966 while on display in England. With the help of a dog named Pickles, the famed English detectives of Scotland Yard were able to retrieve the Trophy, which was hidden in a suburban garden.
At that time, FIFA regulations stated that any nation winning the FIFA World Cup three times would become permanent owners of the Trophy. Brazil did just that, taking home the Trophy in 1970 only to have misfortune follow in 1983, when the Trophy was stolen in Rio de Janeiro, only this time it was never to be seen again. It is widely believed that it was melted down by thieves.
The current trophy features a design of two humans holding up the Earth and was the work of Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, who won a contest featuring 53 experts from seven countries. The names of winning countries are engraved on a plate on the bottom of the trophy, and after Germany's 2014 title, the trophy needed to be altered to create room for future winners.