Who keeps the World Cup trophy and when does it go to Spain?
Spain defeated Argentina in Sunday’s Sunday’s final in New Jersey to claim their second title and join a select list of multiple winners.
Luis de la Fuente’s Spain were proclaimed world champions after defeating Argentina in a tense final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It marked Spain’s second World Cup triumph - one which in some ways mirrored their first, won in South Africa 16 years ago. Like then, the final was decided by a single goal in extra-time. Ferran Torres rifled home the winner on 106 minutes to etch his own name in the history books alongside Andrés Iniesta, whose strike settled the 2010 final.
It also means Spain have now joined a select group of multiple winners. Seven teams who have won the trophy more than once: Brazil (5), Germany (4), Italy (4), Argentina (3), France (2), Uruguay (2) and now Spain (2).
Andrés Iniesta in 2010. Ferran Torres in 2026.
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 19, 2026
Two golden Spain moments in the #FIFAWorldCup Final ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/mMsVI0Y6EI
World champions Spain take the trophy on a victory parade
On Monday, the World Cup trophy will head back to Spain and after a whistle-stop victory tour in which it will be paraded through the streets of Madrid, it will go on display at the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas.
But after winning their second World Cup, do Spain now get to keep the trophy? Or are they expected to hand it back for the next edition - which curiously, they will co-host in 2030.
In some soccer tournaments there is a tradition in which multiple winners are allowed to keep the trophy. For example, in the Champions League, when it a team wins it for the fifth time, or wins three consecutive editions, the trophy is theirs to keep.
In the past, the same was true for the World Cup. But not anymore.
The current World Cup trophy is the second of two that have been awarded in the 23 editions of the competition. The first, used from 1930 to 1970, was originally called Victory but was renamed in honor of Jules Rimet, FIFA’s third, and most long-standing president.
No, no lo estáis soñando.
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) July 19, 2026
¡QUE SOMOS CAMPEONES DEL MUNDO OTRA VEZ!#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/9rxTkN5cmO
Brazil get to keep the Jules Rimet trophy
The Jules Rimet trophy was retired following Brazil’s memorable triumph at Mexico 1970. The Seleção became the first team to lift the trophy three times - an achievement sufficiently impressive enough for FIFA to decide that they could keep it permanently.
FIFA commissioned Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga to design a brand new trophy for the 1974 competition staged in Germany.
Unlike the Jules Rimet Cup, which was transferred from the winning country to the next, the current version belongs to FIFA permanently and remains in the organisation’s Zurich HQ under lock and key.
A replica wings its way across the globe in the months running up to every World Cup as part of the Trophy Tour. This trophy, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Winner’s Trophy - not the original, is the one that Spain captain lifted on Sunday night and which the RFEF are allowed to keep as a lasting reminder of their triumph.
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