With weeks to go until one victorious team raises the FIFA World Cup trophy, football fans are getting the opportunity to see the golden prize in all its glory during a special event in Doha.
The trophy – which has toured 51 countries including all 32 of the nations competing in the global tournament – will be on show at Aspire Park on Tuesday November 15 from 4pm-10pm.
The event will be presented by local comedian Hamad Al Amari, with several special activities also taking place for families joining the celebrations.
Khalid Ali Al Mawlawi, deputy director general for marketing, communications & event experience at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, said, “We are delighted to welcome the FIFA World Cup trophy back to Qatar after its successful global tour.
“This week’s event is a final opportunity for fans to engage with the most famous trophy in sport as we gear up for a landmark edition of international football’s showpiece event.”
If you can’t make it to Aspire Park, don’t worry – following the event, the FIFA World Cup Trophy will tour a series of local businesses and schools, with more details to be revealed soon.
The current trophy was first awarded in 1974, with football legends including Diego Maradona to Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane lifting the prize.
A design competition saw 53 entries submitted, with the winning option representing the “joy of victory” with two players holding up a globe. The designer – Italian sculpture artist Silvio Gazzaniga – said: “The world is a sphere so looks very similar to a football.”
But the legendary trophy isn’t only valuable for sentimental reasons – it’s made of 18 carat solid gold, weighing in at 6.175kg.
The base also includes two semi-precious green malachite bands which have been restored several times.
In fact, it was so easy to damage that FIFA made the decision in 2005 to stop lending the original trophy out to winning teams for display, instead opting to hand out a replica.
