What do a shoebox, a heroic dog named Pickles, and 6 kilograms of solid gold have in common?
They are all part of the extraordinary, improbable history of the most coveted object in football — the FIFA World Cup trophy. The trophy has been smuggled, stolen twice, hidden under a bed during wartime, sniffed out by a dog in a London garden, and, in one dark chapter, very likely melted down and sold for scrap. The fact that any version of it still exists at all is something of a miracle.
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The First Trophy: Nike, Goddess of Victory
The original trophy, introduced for the first World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, was a gold statuette of Nike — the Greek goddess of victory — holding an octagonal cup above her head. It was initially called Victory. It was later renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy in honor of the FIFA president whose vision had made the tournament a reality.
FIFA’s rules at the time included an unusual clause: any nation that won the World Cup three times would keep the trophy permanently. Brazil achieved this in 1970 in Mexico, becoming three-time champions with arguably the greatest squad ever assembled. They took the Jules Rimet home — and that, in theory, was the end of its story.
The Shoebox That Saved Football History
Before Brazil even had their hands on it, the trophy came within inches of disappearing forever.
During the Second World War, with Italy occupied by German forces, FIFA’s Italian Vice-President Ottorino Barassi faced a choice: leave the Jules Rimet Trophy in its bank vault in Rome, where occupying troops could easily seize it, or take matters into his own hands. He chose the latter. Barassi secretly removed the trophy from the vault and carried it home. For the remainder of the war, the world’s most coveted sports prize sat hidden in a shoebox — under his bed.
It survived. Football survived.
Pickles the Dog and the 1966 London Heist
The Jules Rimet Trophy’s second brush with disaster came in England, just months before the 1966 World Cup. The trophy was on public display in London when thieves broke in and took it. The Football Association was mortified. Scotland Yard launched an investigation. A replica was quietly prepared in case it was never found.
One week later, a black-and-white collie named Pickles was out for a walk with his owner in south London when he began sniffing at a package wrapped in newspaper under a garden hedge. Inside: the intact Jules Rimet Trophy. Pickles became an instant national celebrity, appeared on television, and attended England’s World Cup victory banquet later that summer. He has since become one of football’s most beloved footnotes.
The Theft That Ended Everything
Sadly, the Jules Rimet Trophy did not survive the 1980s. In 1983, thirteen years after Brazil had taken permanent custody, thieves broke into the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and stole it again. This time, there was no Pickles. The trophy was never recovered. The widely-held belief is that it was melted down into gold bars — a sacred relic of football history destroyed for the metal it contained. A replica stands in its place today.
The Trophy Being Lifted in 2026
With the original retired permanently to Brazil and subsequently stolen, FIFA commissioned a new design for 1974, created by Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga. The modern trophy depicts two abstract human figures, arms raised, holding up a golden globe. It stands 36.8 centimetres tall, weighs 6.175 kilograms, and is made of solid 18-carat gold with a base of green malachite rings.
This is the trophy that will be lifted at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 20, 2026, in the Final of the World Cup 2026. Forty-five nations have held it over fifty years. Only eight have lifted it. The next chapter begins in June.
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