Canada is gearing up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup with the prestigious World Cup Trophy making its way to various cities across the country.
Scheduled from April 9 to May 26, the trophy will tour through Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. The FIFA World Cup, a 48-team tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is set to take place from June 11 to July 19.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour kicked off on January 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with former Italian football star Alessandro Del Piero presenting the iconic trophy.
This current World Cup Trophy was introduced in 1974, replacing the Jules Rimet Trophy. Initially crafted for the inaugural 1930 tournament, the Jules Rimet Trophy was permanently awarded to Brazil after their third World Cup win in 1970.
Following a design competition, Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga was chosen out of 53 proposals to create the new trophy. The current trophy, made of 18-karat solid gold, stands at 14.5 inches tall and weighs 13.6 pounds, with a base diameter of 5.1 inches featuring green malachite bands that have undergone multiple restorations.
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Until 2006, winning teams could showcase the cup in their federation’s trophy cabinet before returning it to FIFA for the next World Cup. However, since the latest restoration in 2006, the original trophy is only presented to the winning team during the official award ceremony before being handed back to FIFA.
The victorious country receives an exact replica of the original trophy to keep.
Since 1974, the names of all World Cup-winning teams have been engraved at the base of the trophy.
