Designed by Abel Lafleur and made from gold plated sterling silver on a blue base of lapis lazuli, it stood 35 cm high and weighed 3.8 kg. It was in the form of an octagonal cup, supported by a winged figure representing Nike, the traditional Greek goddess of victory. During WW2, the prize was held by Italy.

Ottorino Barassi, the Italian VP of FIFA, hid it from the Germans in a shoe-box under his bed. As a security measure, FIFA anonymously made a duplicate of the prize for use in the post-match parties. The copy was also used on successive occasions till 1970.

The copy was sold at an auction in 1997 for $425,015.There were plenty of copies on eBay at that point. The Brazilian team won the prize for the 3rd time in 1970, and were rewarded by being permitted to keep it in perpetuation. However, the cup was nicked again in 1983 in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered ; it could have been liquified down.

The Brazilian Soccer Confederation commissioned a copy of their own. The replacement prize, officially called the FIFA World Cup Prize , was first presented at the 1974 World Cup. The name of the country whose countrywide team wins the contest is engraved, along with the year, in the bottom side of the prize. It isn’t sure whether FIFA will retire the prize after all the name plaques at the base are filled in ; this may happen after the 2038 World Cup.