FIFA World Cup Trophy facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids FIFA World Cup Trophy

Given for	Winning the FIFA World Cup
Presented by	FIFA
History
First award	1930 (Jules Rimet Trophy) 1974 (FIFA World Cup Trophy)
First winner	Uruguay (Jules Rimet Trophy, 1930) West Germany (FIFA World Cup Trophy, 1974)
Most wins	Brazil (5 times)
Most recent	Argentina (3rd title, 2022)
Website	fifa.com

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is a beautiful golden award given to the team that wins the exciting FIFA World Cup football tournament. Since the World Cup began in 1930, there have been two different trophies. The first was called the Jules Rimet Trophy, used from 1930 to 1970. After that, the FIFA World Cup Trophy has been used from 1974 until today. Imagine, the materials for the current trophy are worth around $713,000!

The very first trophy was first called Victory. Later, it was renamed to honor Jules Rimet, who was the president of FIFA. This trophy was made of silver covered in gold, and its base was a blue stone called lapis lazuli. It showed Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory. The Brazilian team won this trophy three times by 1970. Because of this, they got to keep it forever! This meant a new trophy was needed. Sadly, the original Jules Rimet Trophy went missing in 1983 and has never been found since.

The trophy we see today, called the "FIFA World Cup Trophy," first appeared in 1974. It's made of 18-karat gold and has green bands of malachite on its base. This trophy is about 36.8 centimetres (14.5 in) tall and weighs 6.175 kilograms (13.61 lb). An Italian company named GDE Bertoni created it. The design shows two people holding up the Earth. The team that currently holds this amazing trophy is Argentina, who won the 2022 World Cup. You can usually find the trophy at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zürich, Switzerland. It only travels for special events!

Did you know that only a few special people are allowed to touch the real trophy with their bare hands? This includes the players and coaches who have won the World Cup, leaders of countries, and important officials from FIFA.

The Amazing FIFA World Cup Trophy
- The First Trophy: Jules Rimet
  - A Trophy's Journey and Adventures
  - The Trophy Goes Missing!
- The Current Trophy: FIFA World Cup
  - How the New Trophy Was Made
  - Who Can Touch the Trophy?
World Cup Winners
See also

The Amazing FIFA World Cup Trophy

Jules Rimet Trophy replica on display in the English National Football Museum. The original went missing from Brazil in 1983 and was never found.

The First Trophy: Jules Rimet

The Jules Rimet Cup was the very first trophy for the FIFA World Cup. It was first called "Victory" but was often just known as the World Cup. In 1946, it was renamed to honor Jules Rimet, the FIFA President. He was the one who helped start the competition back in 1929.

A French artist named Abel Lafleur designed this trophy. It was made of silver covered in gold, with a base of blue lapis lazuli stone. Later, in 1954, the base was made taller to fit more names of winning teams. The trophy was about 35 centimetres (14 in) tall and weighed 3.8 kilograms (8.4 lb). It looked like a cup with ten sides, held up by a winged figure of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

A Trophy's Journey and Adventures

The Jules Rimet Trophy traveled to Uruguay for the first FIFA World Cup in June 1930. It sailed on a ship called the Conte Verde. This same ship also carried Jules Rimet and the football teams from France, Romania, and Belgium. The first team ever to win and hold this trophy was Uruguay, after they won the 1930 World Cup.

Jules Rimet presents the World Cup trophy to Raúl Jude, president of the Uruguayan Football Association, after Uruguay won the first 1930 FIFA World Cup. This trophy was renamed for Rimet in 1946.

During World War II, the trophy was kept safe by Italy, who had won in 1938. An Italian football official, Ottorino Barassi, secretly moved the trophy from a bank. He hid it in a shoe-box under his bed to protect it. In the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, a new tradition began. The Brazilian captain, Hilderaldo Bellini, lifted the trophy high for photographers. Since then, every winning captain has done the same!

The Trophy Goes Missing!

On March 20, 1966, just four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, the trophy went missing from a public display. Seven days later, a clever black and white dog named Pickles found it! It was wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a garden hedge in South London.

To keep it safe, the English Football Association secretly made a copy of the trophy. They used this copy for displays instead of the real one. FIFA had not given permission for a copy, so this replica had to be hidden away after the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Years later, in 1997, this replica was sold at an auction. FIFA bought it, and tests confirmed it was indeed a copy. Today, you can see this replica at the English National Football Museum in Manchester.

The Brazilian team won the tournament for the third time in 1970. This meant they got to keep the real trophy forever, just as Jules Rimet had planned. It was displayed at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, behind strong glass.

However, on December 19, 1983, the trophy went missing again. It was taken from its display case. Sadly, this time, the trophy was never found. Many believe it was melted down, but others think it might still exist somewhere. Only one small part of the original Jules Rimet Trophy has been found: its first base, which FIFA had kept safe.

The Brazilian Football Confederation had a new copy made for themselves. This replica was given to the Brazilian president in 1984.

The Current Trophy: FIFA World Cup

Diego Maradona (left) and Antoine Griezmann (right) with the trophy in 1986 and 2018, celebrating their wins.

Because the Jules Rimet Trophy was kept by Brazil, FIFA needed a new award for the 1974 World Cup. Many artists from different countries sent in their ideas. An Italian artist named Silvio Gazzaniga was chosen to create the new trophy.

How the New Trophy Was Made

This amazing trophy is about 36.5 centimetres (14.4 in) tall. It's made from 5.0 kilograms (11.0 lb) of 18-karat gold, which means it's 75% pure gold. The base is 13 centimetres (5.1 in) wide and has two layers of green malachite stone. These layers add another 1.175 kilograms (2.59 lb) to its total weight.

The company GDE Bertoni in Italy made the trophy. It shows two human figures reaching up to hold the Earth. Silvio Gazzaniga, the designer, said the lines of the trophy "spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world." He imagined it showing two athletes celebrating a victory.

The words "FIFA World Cup" are engraved on the base. After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, a special plate was added underneath the trophy. This plate has the names of the winning countries engraved on it. You can't see these names when the trophy is standing up. The engravings show the year and the winning country's name in its own language. For example, it says "1974 Deutschland" for Germany or "1994 Brasil" for Brazil. After the 2018 World Cup, a new plate was made to correct the spelling for Spain's win in 2010. As of 2022, twelve winners have their names on the base. This plate is updated after each World Cup, and the names are arranged in a spiral to make space for future champions.

A scientist once pointed out that if the trophy were solid gold, it would be far too heavy to lift, weighing around 70–80 kilograms (150–180 lb)! The company that made it confirmed that it is indeed hollow inside. The green malachite bands on the trophy have been carefully cleaned and restored many times. It also gets a fresh layer of gold plating to keep it shining.

The original FIFA World Cup Trophy is kept safe at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zürich, Switzerland. It only leaves the museum for special events, like the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour. It is also present at the final draw for the next World Cup, and on the field for the opening game and the final match. The Trophy Tour started before the 2006 FIFA World Cup competition.

Who Can Touch the Trophy?

Only a selected few are officially allowed to touch the trophy with bare hands. This special group includes the players and managers who have won the World Cup. It also includes leaders of countries and important officials from FIFA.