How an Italian sculptor created the iconic World Cup trophy

What the report says

Al Jazeera’s Newsfeed reported on July 17, 2026, that the football World Cup trophy familiar to fans around the world was created by an Italian sculptor in 1970. The short item frames the trophy’s origin as part of the build-up to Sunday’s final, when Spain and Argentina are due to compete for the tournament’s top honour.

The publisher’s available text gives only a brief account, identifying the creator by nationality but not naming him. Widely reported football history identifies the designer as Silvio Gazzaniga, an Italian sculptor associated with the Milan firm Bertoni, whose design became the current FIFA World Cup Trophy after the earlier Jules Rimet Trophy was retired. That background is not detailed in the supplied Al Jazeera text and should be treated as context rather than new reporting from 256 Newsroom.

The trophy matters because it has become one of the most recognizable objects in global sport, symbolizing not just victory in a single match but the culmination of a years-long international competition. Its image is central to World Cup ceremonies, broadcasts, sponsorships and fan culture, making the story of its design relevant whenever a final approaches.

With Spain and Argentina set to meet, Al Jazeera’s segment appears to use the occasion to revisit how the prize itself took shape and why it remains embedded in football’s collective memory. The report highlights the enduring link between sporting achievement, visual design and international identity.