The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.
Beginning in 1930, FIFA awarded the World Cup winner the Jules Rimet Trophy, named after the man who helped launch the global tournament. The gold-plated trophy depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding a cup over her head — a fitting symbol for the the sport’s biggest prize.
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Rimet also made a bold promise: any nation that wins the World Cup three times would get to keep the trophy permanently.
That’s exactly what happened in 1970, when Brazil won its third title behind Pelé. After Brazil claimed the trophy for good, FIFA commissioned a new trophy that debuted at the 1974 World Cup.
But the original trophy’s story didn’t end there.
In 1983, thieves broke into the Brazilian soccer federation’s offices and stole the Jules Rimet Trophy. It was never seen again. Some investigators believe it was melted down for its gold, though the true fate of the hardware remains one of soccer’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 a little over 13 pounds. Teams that win the trophy receive a bronze replica and the original stays at the FIFA World Football Museum in Switzerland until the World Cup draw and the first and final matches of the next World Cup.
Only a handful of nations have lifted it more than once. Brazil leads the way with five titles, followed by Germany and Italy with four each. Argentina has three, while France and Uruguay have each won the tournament twice.
One of the most famous trophies in sports has changed form over the years — and the original is still missing.