Canada is set to welcome the World Cup Trophy ahead of the upcoming soccer tournament. The trophy will be showcased in various cities across the country from April 9 to May 26, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, and Toronto. This year’s 48-team tournament, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which consists of 75 stops, kicked off on January 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Former Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero brought the trophy to start the tour.
The current World Cup Trophy was introduced in 1974, replacing the Jules Rimet Trophy. Originally crafted for the first tournament in 1930, 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 designs to create the current trophy, which was first presented in 1974. The trophy, made of 18-karat solid gold, stands at 14.5 inches tall and weighs 13.6 pounds. Its base, with a diameter of 5.1 inches, features two green malachite bands that have undergone multiple restorations, including a new layer of gold plating.
Traditionally, winning teams could display the trophy before returning it to FIFA for the next World Cup. However, since 2006, after the most recent restoration, the original cup is only given to the team during the official prize-giving ceremony and then reclaimed by FIFA. The winning country receives an exact replica of the original trophy.
Since 1974, the names of the World Cup-winning teams have been engraved on the trophy’s base. The tour dates for the World Cup Trophy across Canada are as follows:
World Cup Trophy tour dates
- April 9-11: Vancouver
- April 12: Calgary
- April 13: Winnipeg
- May 22: Montreal
- May 23: Halifax
- May 24: Ottawa
- May 25-26: Toronto
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