How an Italian sculptor created the World Cup trophy that became an icon

The iconic FIFA World Cup trophy, destined to be lifted by either Spain or Argentina after the 2026 final, was designed by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga with the intention of capturing three core sporting emotions: the athlete's struggle, the fan's jubilation, and the ultimate moment of victory.

Gazzaniga conceived the design in his Milan studio following a FIFA competition for a new trophy. This was necessitated after Brazil permanently acquired the original trophy by winning it for the third time in 1970. The resulting design, now instantly recognizable to football fans worldwide, depicts two dynamic figures swirling upward around a sphere that represents the Earth. Gazzaniga's son, Giorgio, explained that his father envisioned the trophy as two DNA spirals moving towards the heavens.

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When he started to design the cup, he was sketching a huge number of drawings and finally started to develop the idea to have the world and this symbol that it is like two DNA spirals, that are moving up.

Silvio Gazzaniga, who passed away in 2016, was a prolific designer of prestigious sports trophies, including those for the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup, while working for GDE Bertoni Srl. The trophy he created replaced the original Jules Rimet trophy, which was introduced for the inaugural 1930 tournament and named after FIFA's founder. The Jules Rimet trophy itself had a dramatic history, including being stolen twice – once in 1966 in England, only to be found by a dog named Pickles, and again in 1983 from Brazil's football confederation headquarters. It is widely believed to have been melted down.

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There is the world, which stands above all else, there is the athlete's exertion, there is the athlete's movement within the metal, and the athlete's body is rough, rugged, for it has suffered, had to fight, and struggled.