The ultimate prize in world football arrived in the UAE as the 2018 FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola stopped in Dubai.
After arriving on a private jet, football’s biggest prize, which stands at 36.8cm tall and weighs over 6kgs made it’s way around iconic landmarks in the emirate.
HE Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council welcomed the trophy with the exclusive unveiling at Dubai Airport, before the famous gold trophy was taken on a whistle-stop tour of Dubai. First stop was the Dubai Frame, where the tour was joined by former Saudi Arabian international Saeed Al-Owairan, whose solo goal against Belgium in the 1994 World Cup is considered one of the greatest ever, before the trophy found its way to the Tolerance Bridge, Dubai’s newest landmark. To cap the event, the World Cup was taken to the top of Burj Khalifa. This was matched with a mammoth projection of the famous trophy on the side of the building.
The tour began in September 2017 in Russia, this year’s tournament hosts, and sees the trophy travel across six continents, covering 126,000 miles before the World Cup tournament gets underway.
Only Heads of State and FIFA World Cup winners are permitted to hold the trophy, which is permanently displayed in the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, and remains, in a glass box.
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General Dubai Sports Council, expressed his delight in bringing the World Cup Trophy to Dubai, highlighting the emirate’s global position as a prestigious touristic and economic location, as well as its multicultural demographic.
“The arrival of the trophy in Dubai as part of it’s global tour confirms Dubai’s position as a global sports hub, and a firm fixture on the tour itself”, Hareb said. “We at Dubai Sports Council are pleased to be working with The Coca-Cola Company to bring the World Cup Trophy to Dubai and highlight the city’s most iconic attractions – marrying the city’s prestigious positioning and the trophy’s significant value,” Hareb added.
