Countdown 2026 World Cup Already turned on! Each day leading up to the event’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that shows just how big the world’s biggest sporting event has become—even beyond the expanded venues for this year’s global event.
Beginning in 1930, FIFA presented the Jules Rimet Trophy to the World Cup winner, named after the man who helped launch the global tournament. The gold-plated trophy depicts Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding the cup above her head – a fitting symbol of the sport’s highest prize.
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Rimet also made a bold promise: Any country that wins the World Cup three times will keep the trophy forever.
That’s exactly what happened in 1970, when Brazil won the title for the third time after Pele. After Brazil took home the trophy for good, FIFA commissioned a new trophy, which debuted at the 1974 World Cup.
But the story of the original trophy doesn’t end there.
In 1983, thieves broke into the offices of the Brazilian Football Federation and stole the Jules Rimet trophy. Never saw it again. Some investigators believe it was melted down for gold, although the hardware’s true fate remains one of football’s enduring mysteries. Four suspects were eventually convicted in absentia.
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The new World Cup trophy is 14.4 inches tall and weighs just over 13 pounds. The team that wins the trophy will receive a bronze replica and the original will be kept at the FIFA World Football Museum in Switzerland until the World Cup draw and the first and final games of the next World Cup.
Only a few countries have lifted this restriction more than once. Brazil tops the list with 5 titles, followed by Germany and Italy with 4 titles each. Argentina has won three World Cups, while France and Uruguay have won two World Cups each.
One of the most famous trophies in sports has changed forms over the years, while the original trophy remains missing.
