World Cup final predictions: Argentina vs. Spain
Jon Arnold and Seth Vertelney give their predictions for who they think will win the 2026 World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain.
Sports Seriously
Editor’s note: Follow for live updates on Argentina-Spain World Cup final
Spain and Argentina play for the World Cup title on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and the trophy awaiting the winner has never been worth more.
The gold in the FIFA World Cup trophy is now worth about $713,000, according to the London Stock Exchange Group, up from roughly $277,000 when Argentina lifted it in in Qatar. That’s a 157 percent jump in four years, and FIFA didn’t have to do a thing to earn it. Gold prices did all the work. The metal has traded above $4,100 per ounce this month, more than double the price in 2022.
And the gold is the cheap part. Factor in what the trophy represents and estimates put its overall value around $20 million. The Vince Lombardi Trophy handed to Super Bowl champions is worth about $50,000, for reference.
What is the World Cup trophy made of?
The current trophy, first awarded in 1974, is 18-karat gold and contains 4.93 kilograms of pure gold. It isn’t solid. The trophy is hollow inside with two circular bands of malachite, a green gemstone, wrapped around the base.
Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga designed it in 1971. It stands 14.4 inches tall and weighs 13.61 pounds.
When the trophy was made the materials were valued at around $25,000.
Do World Cup winners keep the trophy?
No. The trophy belongs to FIFA permanently and lives at the FIFA Museum in Zurich. The winning team takes home a gold-plated bronze replica called the World Cup Winner’s Trophy.
What the champions get on the real thing is their name. The base is engraved with every winning nation in its own language since 1974, and there is room to keep adding through the 2038 tournament.
Only European and South American teams have won it in that span. Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, France and Spain make up the whole list.
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