When Spain captain Rodri lifted the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy following his side’s 1-0 win over Argentina in New York New Jersey this summer, it represented a lifetime of work and instantly became an iconic moment in sporting history.

Weighing in at exactly 6.1kg and standing 36.8cm tall, the 18-karat gold FIFA World Cup Trophy is a symbol of glory, immortality and pride that means so much to people around the world and has been front and centre in some of football’s most passionate celebrations. But its significance is more than being just a token of victory, with decades of history, strict rules and even two versions of the trophy involved: the original FIFA World Cup Trophy and the FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy.

The original lives in the FIFA Museum in Zurich, Switzerland and is reserved for FIFA’s most prestigious moments such as the FIFA World Cup Final Draw, the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola, presentation to the winning team at the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup Final and select high-profile events.

“This is FIFA’s second trophy that represents the champions of the FIFA World Cup. Back in 1974, this one was cast and awarded to that first champion, and since then, this has been the symbol of football achievement, football greatness and, of course, what represents the world champions of football,” said James Salmon, Team Lead of Experiential Marketing at FIFA. It was first awarded in 1974 after Brazil were given the right to keep the original Jules Rimet Trophy following their third world title triumph at the 1970 edition in Mexico. Now, after the winning team lifts the original trophy on the field, it is exchanged for the gold-plated Winner’s Trophy which the team gets to keep forever.

The FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy is produced every four years and is reserved for the winners of the upcoming tournament, so for example, the trophy that Spain were given at the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ was cast in 2022. In the four years leading up to the tournament, the Winner’s Trophy does a significant amount of promotional work, including visits to media outlets. When the team has finished their celebrations on the pitch and returns to the changing room, FIFA does a trophy exchange where the winning team is given the Winner’s Trophy, and the original trophy is returned to the FIFA Museum.

The Winner’s Trophy travels with the champions and is involved in the celebrations and parades and is temporarily returned to FIFA at a time of their choice. FIFA then engrave the trophy and return it to the Member Association (MA) to keep as recognition of their achievement forever. There are rules to preserve the stature of the trophy, the most famous of which is the restriction on who is allowed to touch it: former winners, the FIFA President, and heads of state. “Even behind the scenes there’s a lot of protocol that goes into how we move the trophy, we don’t let people see it move when it is doing its movements,” said Salmon.

“When we’re in public or setting up for interviews, or in TV studios, we ask for all cameras to be down, we ask for people to acknowledge the special moment that they get to be in the room, and if we need to, we will put up black curtains or some sort of barrier for visibility. “It’s so special and historic to be a world champion of this sport, and in any capacity is respected at every moment when it comes to our trophy operations, logistics, and protocol. So, even those behind-the-scenes moments are protected and behind a veil of mystery and respect.” As part of Salmon’s role, he accompanies the trophies to their various appointments and ceremonies including the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola where he sees first-hand the joy and excitement the trophy brings to fans from all nations.

“The trophy tour took us through countless countries, countless continents and countless people that interact with us. It was six months of joy, celebrating football on a really truly global scale, from our most hardcore fans and diehard fans, all the way to presidents, prime ministers of countries, royalty, and special guests all along the way. “When it comes to our fans around the world, it’s an indescribable thing how football brings people together. The energy is the constant. The way that people talk about the trophy and what it means to them is the constant. “The way that people can describe the moment when they see a team lift the trophy and recall that moment, and then when they get to see it in person – which is very rare – people get taken back instantly to those moments that means the most of how football brought them together.”