The World Cup trophy: Everything you need to know

The World Cup trophy: it doesn't get bigger, better or brighter than this.

It's football's most beautiful prize both physically and emotionally: the winners of World Cup 2026 will take very temporary ownership of the statue, officially the FIFA World Cup Trophy, and live out the dreams of millions of people all over the globe.

Argentina will attempt to defend the title in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer but 47 other World Cup squads will have other ideas. Winning the World Cup is the pinnacle of football and nothing comes close. Here's everything you need to know.

Who designed the World Cup trophy?

More than 50 artists responded to FIFA's call for submissions in advance of World Cup 1974 in West Germany.

The sculptor responsible for the design of the World Cup trophy we know and love was an Italian, Silvio Gazzaniga, who won the brief on behalf of the Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni trophy company in Milan.

Gazzaniga also designed the trophy now known as the Europa League trophy, with which the World Cup trophy shares some common themes.

He lived until the age of 95 and passed away in Milan in 2016.

What is the World Cup trophy made of?

Standing at 36.5 centimetres and weighing in at a hefty five kilograms, the World Cup trophy is cast in 18 carat gold.

In 2010, British chemist Professor Martyn Poliakoff demonstrated that the World Cup trophy or some part of it must be hollow, arguing quite wonderfully that a solid gold World Cup trophy would weight the same as "quite a large adult" and would be "a waste of gold."

The trophy's base measures 13 centimetres across and weighs more than a kilogram. It's made of malachite, a green mineral that lends the two bands at the bottom of the trophy their colour.

How much is the World Cup trophy worth?

Based on the weight and purity of its gold alone, the World Cup trophy would be worth somewhere in the region of £425,000 according to the price of gold in April 2026.

That's the sort of number that would make Fiona Bruce's eyes pop out of her head, but, of course, they'd never dream of selling it.

The malachite's probably worth about £1,000.

Do the winners keep the World Cup trophy?

FIFA required a new World Cup trophy after 1970 because that summer's World Cup was won by Brazil.

Led to a third triumph in four tournaments by Pele, Brazil fulfilled the requirement laid out by Jules Rimet at the outset of World Cup history and were therefore awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy on a permanent basis, albeit the real thing was stolen in Rio Janeiro in 1983 and never found.

The new FIFA World Cup Trophy is permanently housed in Zurich and the winning team instead looks after a replica for their four years at the top.

Germany, Argentina and Italy have all become three-time winners or better since the new trophy was cast but the rules no longer allow for permanent ownership in the same way as the Jules Rimet Trophy.

Instead, the trophy will be awarded to the winning team until 2038, when it runs out of space to engrave the names of new champions.