A Brief History of the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy — Official Licensed Product of the FIFA World Cup™

Every four years, the world's best football teams gather to crown their world champion.

The reward for a hard-fought victory is an iconic moment: Every football player dreams of lifting the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy and being celebrated by the fans.

But what about the trophy made for the celebration of the victory at a FIFA World Cup™ tournament? Who designed it? Has it changed over time? To answer these questions we have put together a brief history of the FIFA World Cup™ itself from the inaugural tournament in 1930 up to the present day.

The reason we do this is that the 1kg Pure Gold FIFA World Cup™ Trophy licensed by FIFA is available as a premium collectible. You will be one of only 26 lucky owners – so do not hesitate and feel the victory of a real World Champion!

Organized football does not date back as far as some may think: the first international matches were played at the end of the 19th century, and FIFA was founded in 1904. Nevertheless, it would take almost 30 years before the first FIFA World Cup™ was held. Until then, the Olympic football tournaments had the status of a world championship.

And this development was mainly driven by the persistence of FIFA President Jules Rimet. Under his leadership in 1929 FIFA planned for the »World Cup«. A year later in 1930, the first FIFA World Cup™ took place. Rimet started in 1921 and fought for the creation of the tournament in his 33-year reign as the head of FIFA. In honor of his achievements, the cup was named »Jules Rimet Cup™« after the Second World War in 1946.

The Second World War had a huge global impact and even the cup was not spared. Italy was the winner in 1938, but because they were heavily involved in the war, there was a concern for the trophy's well-being. Italian FIFA Vice President Ottorino Barassi decided to secretly take the trophy from the bank in Rome and hide it in a shoebox under his bed to make sure the Nazis did not get it.

Another significant moment in the history of the Jules Rimet Cup™ came on 20 March 1966. Four months before the tournament in England was scheduled to start, the cup was stolen from a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall. The perpetrators demanded a ransom of £15,000 and the entire police force was mobilized to find it.

It was eventually found seven days later in South London, wrapped in a newspaper. A dog named Pickles found the trophy. The dog's owner Dave Corbett returned the trophy immediately and received a £6,000 prize as a reward. The story goes that Pickles received a lifetime supply of dog food.

As a safety measure, the British Football Association (FA) secretly produced a replica of the Jules Rimet Cup™ which was used on numerous occasions until 1970. As FIFA explicitly refused permission to the FA to create a replica, the replica also had to disappear from public view and was kept under its creator's bed for many years. In 1997 the replica was finally auctioned for £254,500 and was purchased by FIFA.

In 1970, the Brazilian team won the tournament for the third time and the original trophy was transferred to Rio de Janeiro and put on display at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in a cabinet with bullet-proof glass at the front. On 19 December 1983, the wooden back of the cabinet was forced open with a crowbar and the cup was stolen again. Four men were convicted in absentia for the crime, but the cup was never found. It is believed to have been melted down, sold, or hidden in some private collection.

Since the first event in 1930, two trophies have been in use for the FIFA World Cup™: the »World Cup« later named »Jules Rimet Cup™«, used from 1930 to 1970, and the »FIFA World Cup™ Trophy«, used from 1974 to the present day.

Creating a second trophy became necessary after Brazil had won the Jules Rimet Cup™ for the third time, which, according to FIFA rules, allowed them to keep the trophy for good.

Thus, for the 1974 tournament, a new trophy had to be designed and made. After receiving 53 submissions from sculptors in seven countries, the winning design was selected. Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga won, and the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy was made in Italy by the company Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni. Gazzaniga would, later, also design the UEFA Cup™ and the UEFA Super Cup™.

The 12 winning teams so far are engraved on the bottom base layer. Whose name will be engraved next?

New rules were set for the new FIFA World Cup™ Trophy. Instead of keeping the trophy until the final draw for the next tournament, the winner now receives a gold-plated bronze replica.

The original trophy is permanently housed at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich. It will only leave the museum when embarking on its FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour. It will also be present at the final draw for the next FIFA World Cup™ as well as on the pitch at the FIFA World Cup™ final.

The sense of pride and achievement a winning team gets from holding this trophy must be amazing. When a team wins this trophy, it's not just them that are happy. A World Cup win can unite a country, spreading a healthy wave of joy and victorious spirit across the nation.

So, at this year's FIFA World Cup™, who do you think will be holding the trophy next?