Have you ever wondered which football trophies are the most expensive in the world? You would even be surprised to know that the value of some football trophies is quite expensive than the GDP’s of some countries.
Football is one of the grandest sports in the world, and it amasses tons of revenue every day. Football has also become one of the most profitable industries, with a significant economic impact on infrastructure development, sponsorships, TV rights, and trophy values.
‘Trophy’? It’s an object in the form of a statue, cup,, or prize awarded for success in a competition to the eventual conqueror.
The major objective of every footballer is to lift the most prestigious trophy for either country or club. To many, these trophies and what they stand for are priceless. So, what exactly are some of the world’s football trophies made of, and what are they worth?
- List Of Valuable & Most Expensive Football Trophies
- 1. FIFA World Cup Trophy – (,000,000)
- 2. FA Cup Trophy – (,180,000)
- 3. Africa Cup of Nations Trophy – (0,000)
- 4. Serie A Trophy – (,000)
- 5. Bundesliga Trophy – (,000)
- 7. LaLiga Trophy – (,000)
- 9. UEFA European Championship Trophy – (,000)
- 10. Premier League Trophy – (,000)
- 11. Copa Libertadores Trophy – (.5m)
- 12. UEFA Europa League Trophy – (.5m)
List Of Valuable & Most Expensive Football Trophies
1. FIFA World Cup Trophy – (,000,000)
The most coveted FIFA World Cup usually carries the names of the winning countries underneath the trophy, little wonder playing or winning the most revered football competition is no doubt the dream of every professional footballer.
The first version of the trophy which was called the ‘Jules Rimat Trophy‘ made of gold-plated silver featured the goddess of victory.
The new design introduced in 1974 depicts two human figures holding up the earth is made of ’18 carat gold with 2 layers of semi-precious malachite’ and its valued at $20m.
The trophy was introduced in 1974 and designed by an Italian artist called ‘Silvio Gazzaniga‘, and it’s reported to be 36.5cm long in size and 6.175kg heavy in weight.
Since the introduction of the World Cup in 1930, quite a number of national teams have been able to lift the biggest football competition trophy in the world.
2. FA Cup Trophy – (,180,000)
The Football Association Challenge Cup is also known as the FA Cup, an English football competition open to every football team in England. The competition is the oldest association football competition in the world and it has been in existence since 1871.
Since the tournament began in 1871 there’ve been five versions of trophies, the first trophy was stolen in 1895 at Birmingham shop where it was displayed for fans viewing. It was later replaced with a replica for the next competition which was won by United in 1909, before the current one which is sturdier compared to the previous four.
The FA Cup also ranks as one of the most expensive football trophies in the world with a valuation worth $1,180,000, and it is made of solid sterling silver.
The oldest football trophy comes with a resounding quality and designs featuring a depiction of grapes and vines that makes it weigh 6.3kg and 61.5cm in height.
3. Africa Cup of Nations Trophy – (0,000)
The Africa Cup of Nations is the most prestigious football tournament on the continent of Africa, organized by the body directing the affairs of football ‘Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and it is contested by 24 national teams.
The competition was first held in 1957 in Khartoum Sudan, with the most decorated team ‘Egypt’ emerging as the champions winning the first Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem Trophy named after the first CAF president.
Before now the AFCON trophy has gone through three different names before the present one, the first one was named after the first president, while the second is called the African Unity Cup and the new one is called the Africa Cup Of Nations which was introduced in 2002.
4. Serie A Trophy – (,000)
Lega Nazionale Professionisti also known as Italian Serie A has been in existence since 1898.
Just like other major leagues in Europe, it is the most prestigious football competition contested by 20 teams in Italy and the trophy is awarded to the seasonal top-flight champions once they accumulate certain points after 38 games.
The Scudetto as referred to by the inventor Gabrielle D’Annunzio is worth $66,000.
5. Bundesliga Trophy – (,000)
Meisterschale known as Champions Bowl is a German Association Football trophy which is awarded to every seasonal German champion since 1949.
The Meisterschale replaced the old version trophy called ‘Viktoria’ which was the original one since 1903 which disappeared during the final stages of the Second World War and resurfaced during the German reunification.
The trophy is said to have all the German champion’s names engraved on it since 1903 while it is also reported to have enough space to harbor the names of all champions until 2026.
6. UEFA Champions League Trophy – ($50,000)
The UEFA Champions League is arguably the mother of every club football competition in Europe and to some extent the world.
The tournament is also a seasonal event contested by various league champions of all top-flight leagues in Europe with the common aim of winning the most coveted club competition.
Before 1968, teams could keep the trophy after a total of five or three consecutive wins with clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Ajax, Barcelona, and Inter Milan the set of teams to have the original trophy in their cabinet.
In 2009 no champions have been able to keep the real one instead a replica is awarded to them with their name engraved on it.
The trophy also ranks amongst the most expensive in world football and is made of sterling silver with a gold coating inside with a height of 73.5cm long and 7.5kg heavy.
7. LaLiga Trophy – (,000)
La Liga is an annual Spanish league, the league consists of 20 teams and the winner is awarded the La Liga trophy. Founded in 1929, the tournament is currently referred to as La Liga Santander for sponsorship reasons
The battle to win the domestic league has always been between Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid while other teams such as Valencia, and Deportivo La Coruna have also gatecrashed the dominance of the two giants in the league.
For every champion who won the title, it means they’re taking to their cabinet a trophy worth $29,000.
As a matter of fact, the La Liga trophy was actually called Copa de la Espana Libre until 2007 when Barcelona requested the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to name it the Liga title.
8. Copa America Trophy – ($16,000)
Copa America is the only major football tournament that brings 16 national teams together in South America in other to fight for a common purpose which is to win the ‘Copa Trophy’.
While the competition is the oldest international football tournament as well as the third most watched in the world, it has its uniqueness in accommodating invited teams from North America and Asia to also compete in the competition.
Since the Copa America championship was founded in 1916 it has produced quite many champions with La Albiceleste and La Celeste as the most successful team with 15 titles each.
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9. UEFA European Championship Trophy – (,000)
The European Championship is the biggest UEFA international football tournament contested by 24 European national teams. Since the competition was founded in 1958 only two teams Germany and Spain have won three trophies each while Italy is the current champion.
The Henri Delaunay trophy which is worth $15,000 is made of sterling silver with a size of 61cm, and 8kg weight following its redesign in 2008 after the original version produced in 1960 was said to be overshadowed by other UEFA trophies.
10. Premier League Trophy – (,000)
The English Premier League is probably the best football league in the world with a lot of followership, and it is been contested by 20 clubs every season running from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches with a must for promotion and relegation.
According to English folklore, the design of the trophy is based on the Lions of English football. The first two lions are above the handles on either side while the captain of the winning team who raises the trophy up is referred to as the third lion.
The trophy weight is 25kg heavy and 104cm tall, the trophy is made of sterling silver and 24-carat silver glitz which makes it one of the most precious football trophies.
11. Copa Libertadores Trophy – (.5m)
The CONMEBOL Libertadores also known as the Copa Libertadores de America is equivalent to the UEFA Champions League contested by Europe’s top teams every season.
The Copa is a championship contested by 47 teams from ten associations and is also one of the most coveted titles for South American players who ply their trade in the continent.
The trophy is also regarded as one of the most expensive football trophies in the world with a valuation of $8.5m, which says a lot about the worth of the South American Champions League.
12. UEFA Europa League Trophy – (.5m)
The UEFA Europa League is an annual second-tier club competition eligible for European clubs which was introduced in the 2009-10 season following a change in format to the previous competition known as the UEFA Cup.
While the competition is a second-tier club event it is contested by 32 teams and the most successful clubs are the Spanish teams just like they’ve dominated the UEFA Champions League.
The 2021-22 season Europa champions would go home with a sum of €8,600,000 while the runner-up would settle for €4,600,000 but for the trophy itself is worth $4.5m which makes it one of the most valuable and expensive trophy.
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Conclusion
There are many other expensive football trophies around but these are no doubt the ones we could lay hands on for now.
These football trophies command huge coverage and every eligible team and players are always eager to win. The value is not only in terms of money but also the reputation that comes with lifting each one of them.
