2026 World Cup: Why FIFA Will Stop Spain From Keeping the Trophy After Beating Argentina in Final
- Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup final, with Ferran Torres scoring the winning goal
- Enzo Fernandez was sent off during the final as Argentina's hopes of retaining the title collapsed
- Despite lifting the trophy on the pitch, FIFA regulations require Spain to return the original before leaving the stadium that same night
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Ferran Torres scoring the decisive goal in the final at MetLife Stadium.
The victory denied Argentina the chance to defend the title they won in Qatar in 2022. La Albiceleste's hopes suffered a major setback after midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off, leaving the South Americans to finish the match with 10 men.
Source: Getty Images
Why Spain cannot keep the World Cup trophy
Although Spain lifted the famous FIFA World Cup trophy during the post-match celebrations, they will not be allowed to take the original prize home.
According to FIFA regulations, the World Cup trophy remains the permanent property of the governing body and is only presented to the champions during the official award ceremony.
After the celebrations, the trophy must be returned to FIFA before the winning team leaves the stadium.
Instead, Spain will receive the FIFA World Cup Winner's Trophy, an officially authorised replica that the Spanish Football Federation can keep permanently to commemorate its triumph, per NDTV Sports.
Why FIFA keeps the original trophy
The current FIFA World Cup trophy, introduced in 1974, is made of 18-carat gold and stands 36 centimetres tall.
Unlike the original Jules Rimet Trophy, it is never awarded permanently to any nation, regardless of how many times they win the tournament.
FIFA adopted this policy largely because of what happened to the Jules Rimet Trophy.
Brazil was allowed to keep the original trophy after winning the World Cup for a third time in 1970. However, it was stolen from the Brazilian Football Confederation's headquarters in 1983 and has never been recovered.
Since then, FIFA has retained ownership of the World Cup trophy while presenting champions with a replica to preserve one of football's most iconic prizes.
Spain pack all top World Cup awards
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about Pau Cubarsí and Unai Simón's remarkable achievements as Spain dominated the individual awards at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament not only marked Cubarsí's historic win as the youngest-ever recipient of the FIFA Young Player Award but also highlighted Spain's unwavering defensive prowess, conceding just one goal throughout their victorious campaign.
Source: Legit.ng
