Overview
- FIFA retains ownership of the 18‑carat gold World Cup trophy and will present it on the pitch briefly before returning it to secure storage in Zürich while the champions keep a gold‑plated replica.
- The trophy, designed by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga and used since 1974, stands about 36–37 cm tall, weighs roughly 6.1 kg and sits on a malachite base, features repeated in coverage as the object presented and reclaimed after the final.
- For the 2026 final FIFA confirmed several new presentation elements including a bespoke Louis Vuitton trophy trunk, U.S. President Donald Trump delivering the on‑field presentation, and 2,026 Super Bowl‑style championship rings with 30 reserved for the winning team and 1,996 offered for public sale.
- Past thefts of the earlier Jules Rimet trophy and its permanent award to Brazil in 1970 that ended with the 1983 theft remain the reason FIFA keeps the original trophy under tight security and limits who may touch it.
- The changes give fans new ways to buy World Cup memorabilia and mark a clear shift toward North American ceremony and commerce, a move that has prompted discussion about commercialization and the trophy’s symbolic role.