The original World Cup trophy was called the Jules Rimet Trophy. Jules Rimet was the name of the FIFA President who started the World Cup competition in 1930.
The trophy was 35cm high and weighed 3.8kg.
It was made with gold-plated sterling silver on a marble base.
The winged figure represented Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory.
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- The original Jules Rimet trophy (click)
In 1970, Brazil won the World Cup for the 3rd time, allowing them to keep the original trophy.
A replacement trophy was needed for the next World Cup in 1974, and FIFA decided to commission a new design. The winning design came from an Italian artist called Silvio Gazzaniga.
His new design is slightly larger and heavier than the old one. It’s 36.5cm high, weighs 6.2kg and is made with 18 carat gold.
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- The current World Cup trophy (click)
FIFA decided that the original trophy would be used at every World Cup. This means that any team who might win the World Cup 3 times cannot now keep the original trophy.
Instead, the winners of each World Cup receive a replica trophy which they can keep. The replica trophy is gold plated rather than solid gold.
