10 Most Expensive Sports Trophies in the World
Sports trophies are some of the most well-known and iconic trophies in the world, and these are the most expensive sports trophies that you can find. While most of these are not handed out to winners of championships as they’re displayed in museums, there are several replicas that really show the true beauty of them.
From soccer, or football, to tennis, there are several trophies that are not only masterpieces, but represent the hard work and dedication for several teams and individuals. Here are some of the most expensive sports trophies from around the world.
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10. DFB-Pokal Trophy, $108,000
This German knockout football cup trophy is awarded annually to the winners of the competition held by the German Football Association. 64 teams participate in the competition and is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga Championship.
The competition was founded in 1935 and was known as Tschammer-Pokal. it was suspended during World War II and disbanded, but in 1952 it was reinstated as the DFB-Pokal.
9. Africa Cup of Nations Trophy, $150,000
The African Cup of Nations, or AFCON, is one of the most expensive sports trophies in the world of football. AFCON is the main international men’s association football competition in Africa and was first held in 1957.
Since 1968, it has been held every two years. While the first tournament in 1957 only had three participating nations, it has expanded greatly with 16 participants in 1998.
8. America’s Cup Trophy, $250,000
Also informally known as the Auld Mug, this trophy awards those in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America’s Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts, one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy known as the defender, and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup.
The award was originally known as the ‘R.Y.S £100 Cup’ awarded in 1851 by British Royal Yacht Squadron. In 1857, the syndicate permanently donated the trophy to the NYYC and renamed the trophy as ‘America’s Cup’.
7. Ballon d’Or Trophy, $600,000
One of the most expensive sports trophies is the annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956, and briefly worked with FIFA between 2010-2015 to have a merged award known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or, but ended their partnership in 2016.
The Ballon d’Or is generally regarded as football’s most prestigious and valuable individual reward, as it was awarded to players that were deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists. In 1995, the Ballon d’Or was expanded to include all players from any origin that have been active at European clubs.
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6. Stanley Cup Trophy, $650,000
One of the most expensive sports trophies and most iconic, the Stanley Cup is awarded to the winners of the annual National Hockey League. It’s the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America and is considered one of the “most important championships” according to the International Ice Hockey Federation.
The original bowl of the “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup” was made of silver and is 7.28 inches high and 11.42 inches wide. The Stanley Cup is topped with a copy of the original bowl, made of silver and nickel alloy. Its height is 35.25 inches and weighs 35.5 pounds.
5. Indianapolis 500 (Borg-Warner Trophy), $1,300,000
Also known as the Indy 500, this annual automobile race is held in Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the event is traditionally held over Memorial Weekend. The inaugural race was held in 1911 and was won by Ray Harround. The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011. Winners of the race are presented the Borg-Warner Trophy and is named after automotive supplier BorgWarner.
It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Speedway, Indiana. It was unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-speedway owner, Eddie Rickenbacker, and was officially declared the annual prize. It’s made of sterling silver and is just under 5 foot 4, weighing nearly 153 pounds. It’s hollow and dome-shaped which can be removed.
4. BNP Parbias Fortis Diamond Games Trophy, $1,500,000
The Diamond Games was a professional women’s tennis tournament organized by Antwerp, Belgium. In 2016, WTA announced that the Diamond Games would be replaced on the WTA calendar with a new tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Games offered a trophy to any player who won the singles three times in five years. In 2007, Amelie Mauresmo won a golden racquet decorated in diamonds. A new trophy was unveiled in 2008, which featured a golden racquet and a ball, and was decorated with 2008 diamonds.
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3. The FA Trophy, $1,800,000
Awarded to the men’s knockout football cup competition run by and named after the Football Association. The competition started in 1969 to cater to non-league clubs that were not eligible to enter the FA Amateur Cup. Eligibility rules have changed over time, and in 1974, the FA abolished the distinction between official professional and amateur status and discontinued Amateur Cup.
In 2008, the competition has been open to clubs playing in Steps 1-4 of the National League system, which covers the National League, the Southern League, Isthmian League and Northern Premier League.
2. Preakness Stakes Trophy (Woodlawn Vase), $4,000,000
The Preakness Stakes is an American horse race held annually on the third Saturday in May. The first run was in 1873 and was named by a former Maryland governor after the colt who won the first Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico. The winners are awarded the Woodland Vase, one of the most expensive sports trophies in the world sitting at $4 million.
The Vase was first awarded in 1861 to a stakes-winning mare named Molli Jackson in Kentucky. For many years, the trophy was able to be kept for one year until the next running race. But in 1953, Native Dancer won the Preakness Stakes and the wife of winning owner, Alfred Vanderbilt Jr. declined to take possession due to its monetary value. The original trophy is kept at Baltimore Museum of Art and escorted to Preakness Stakes each year by Maryland Army National Guard.
1. FIFA World Cup Trophy, $20,000,000
Taking first place for the most expensive sports trophies is the FIFA World Cup trophy at a staggering $20 million. This solid gold trophy is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup association football tournament. While the Jules Rimet Trophy was used between 1930 to 1970s, the FIFA World Cup took its place in 1974 and is currently the most expensive sports trophies in sporting history.
It stands 4.4 inches tall and is made of 13.61 pounds of 18 karat gold. The base is 5.1 inches in diameter containing of two layers of malachite. The Cup used to be kept by the winning team until the final draw of the next tournament, however, now teams receive a bronze replica which is gold-plated rather than solid gold.
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