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Every sport always has a serious quest for Silverware, season in, season out. But which sports trophy is worth the most money?
Trophies have often been awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional-level athletics.
In many sports, medals (or, in North America, rings) are often given out either as the trophy or along with more traditional trophies.
Trophies have marked victories since ancient times and served as recognition or evidence of merit.
In Sports, trophies have been awarded for team or individual accomplishments.
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Many combat sports, such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling use championship belts as trophies.
However, unlike most trophies in sport, a new one is not created every time a new champion is crowned; rather, the new champion takes the belt from the former champion.
In this article, Pulse Sports reveals the world’s most expensive trophies in sports.
But what is the world’s most expensive trophy in sports?
What is the Most Expensive Trophy in the world?
The FIFA World Cup trophy is the most expensive trophy in the world.
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The trophy is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup tournament which is usually played every four years.
The trophy is composed of 18-carat gold with two layers of semi-precious malachite.
As of 2024, Argentina are the reigning champions and the last team to win the trophy after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
But which are the Top 10 most expensive trophies in the world?
Revealed: Top 10 Most Expensive Sports Trophies in the World
Pulse Sports reviews the top 10 most expensive sports trophies in the world right now.
10. DFB-Pokal trophy – $108,000 (Football)
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The DFB-Pokal is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB).
64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga.
It is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship.
The competition takes place from August until May, and the winner qualifies for the DFL-Supercup and the UEFA Europa League unless the winner already qualifies for the UEFA Champions League in the Bundesliga.
The competition was founded in 1935, then called the Tschammer-Pokal.
The first titleholders were 1. FC Nürnberg.
In 1937, Schalke 04 became the first team to win the double.
The Tschammer-Pokal was suspended in 1944 due to World War II and disbanded following the demise of Nazi Germany.
In 1952–53, the cup was reinstated in West Germany as the DFB-Pokal, named after the DFB, and was won by Rot-Weiss Essen. (FDGB-Pokal, the East German equivalent, started in 1949 and operated through the 1991 season, when it merged with the DFB-Pokal).
Bayern Munich hold the record for the most titles won having lifted the trophy 20 times.
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The current holders are RB Leipzig, who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the 2023 final to retain their title.
Fortuna Düsseldorf hold the record for most consecutive tournament game wins (18) between 1978 and 1981, winning the cup in 1979 and 1980.
The DFB-Pokal trophy is 54 centimetres tall, weighs 6.25 kilograms and has been crafted using gold-plated sterling silver, 210 grams of pure gold as well as 12 tourmalines, 12 rock crystals and 18 nephrites.
The cup can hold up to eight litres of beer or champagne, hence making it the perfect celebration tool, and it had to be elongated by five centimetres in 1991 because it had run out of space for engraving the names of future winners.
Ten years later, in 2001, the trophy required another overhaul as Rudi Assauer, sporting director of the then victorious FC Schalke 04, dropped it while celebrating.
The cup was significantly damaged but Rudi Assauer took full responsibility for all repair costs and it became another one of the many funny stories surrounding the competition.
As of 2024, this trophy is estimated to be worth $108,000, making it one of the Most Expensive Trophies in the World.
9. Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) trophy- $138,442 (Football)
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The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (French: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), is the main international men's association football competition in Africa.
It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and was first held in 1957.
Since 1968, it has been held every two years, switching to odd-numbered years in 2013.
In the first tournament in 1957, there were only three participating nations: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
South Africa was originally scheduled to join, but was disqualified due to the apartheid policies of the government then in power.
However, since then, the tournament has expanded greatly, making it necessary to hold a qualifying tournament.
The number of participants in the final tournament reached 16 in 1998, and until 2017, the format had been unchanged, with the 16 teams being drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a "knock-out" stage.
In July 2017, the Africa Cup of Nations was moved from January to June and expanded from 16 to 24 teams.
Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup's history, winning the tournament a record seven times.
Egypt won an unprecedented three consecutive titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
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Three trophies have been awarded during the tournament's history, with Ghana, and Cameroon winning the first two versions to keep after each of them won a tournament three times.
The current AFCON trophy was first awarded in 2002.
As the first winner of three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, Ghana obtained the right to permanently hold the trophy in 1978.
The second trophy was awarded from 1980 to 2000, and was named “Trophy of African Unity” or “African Unity Cup”.
It was given to CAF by the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa prior to the 1980 tournament and it was a cylindrical piece with the Olympic rings over a map of the continent engraved on it.
The piece sat on a squared base and had stylized triangular handles.
Cameroon won the Unity Cup indefinitely after they became three-time champions in 2000.
In 2001, the third trophy was revealed, a gold-plated cup designed and made in Italy.
Cameroon, who were permanent holders of the previous trophy, were the first nation to be awarded the new trophy after they won the 2002 edition.
Egypt won the gold-plated Cup indefinitely after they became three-time champions in 2010.
However, unlike previous winners who would have then taken the trophy home, Egypt were presented with a special full-size replica that they were allowed to keep.
Since then, the winner of each edition receives a replica whose dimensions are equal to that of the original trophy.
In 2013, the tournament format was switched to being held in odd-numbered years so as not to interfere with the FIFA World Cup.
Ivory Coast are the tournament's current champions, having defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the AFCON 2023 final.
The AFCON trophy is currently estimated to be worth over $138,000, making it one of the Most Expensive Trophies in the World.
8. America’s Cup trophy – $250,000 (Sailing)
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The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded 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 challenger).
Matches are held several years apart on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. There is no fixed schedule, but the races have generally been held every three to four years.
The most recent America's Cup match took place in March 2021.
The cup was originally known as the 'R.Y.S. £100 Cup', awarded in 1851 by the British Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom.
The winning yacht was a schooner called America, owned by a syndicate of members from the New York Yacht Club (NYYC).
In 1857, the syndicate permanently donated the trophy to the NYYC, under a Deed of Gift that renamed the trophy as the 'America's Cup' after the first winner and required it be made available for perpetual international competition.
Any yacht club that meets the requirements specified in the deed of gift has the right to challenge the yacht club that currently holds the cup.
If the challenging club wins the match, it gains stewardship of the cup.
From the first defence of the Cup in 1870 until the twentieth defence in 1967, there was always only one challenger.
In 1970 multiple challengers applied, so a selection series was held to decide which applicant would become the official challenger and compete in America's Cup match.
This approach has been used for each subsequent competition.
The Prada Cup (known as the Louis Vuitton Cup from 1983 to 2017) is awarded to the winner of the challenger selection series.
The history and prestige associated with the America's Cup attracts the world's top sailors, yacht designers, wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors.
It is a test of sailing skill, boat and sail design, and fundraising and management skills.
Competing for the cup is expensive, with modern teams spending more than $100 million USD each.
The 2013 winner was estimated to have spent a whopping $300 million USD on the competition.
The trophy was held by the NYYC from 1857 until 1983.
The NYYC successfully defended the trophy 24 times in a row before being defeated by the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
The NYYC's 132-year reign was the longest (in terms of time) winning streak in any sport.
The America's Cup is currently held by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, who successfully defended the 36th America's Cup in March 2021.
The Cup is an ornate sterling silver bottomless ewer crafted in 1848 by Garrard & Co.
The cup was subsequently mistakenly engraved as the "100 Guinea Cup" by the America syndicate, but was also referred to as the "Queen's Cup" (a guinea is an old monetary unit of one pound and one shilling, now £1.05).
However, since 1851, the trophy has been officially known as the "America's Cup".
It is inscribed with names of the yachts that competed for it and has been modified twice by adding matching bases to accommodate more names.
As of 2024, The America’s Cup is estimated to be worth $250,000, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
7. Ballon d’Or trophy - $600,000 (Football)
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The Ballon d'Or (French for 'Golden Ball') is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956.
Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (founded in 1991) and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
However, that partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award The Best FIFA Men's Player.
The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered winners by both award organisations.
Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or award honours the male and female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists, from 1956 to 2006.
Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and widely known as the European Footballer of the Year award.
In 1995, the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players from any origin that have been active at European clubs.
After 2007, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote.
The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible.
In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or.
They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.
It was also decided that only those countries in the top 100 of the FIFA World Ranking would be allowed to vote.
Nine players (Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Paolo Rossi, Zinedine Zidane, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Lionel Messi) have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or during their careers.
Gerd Müller and Lionel Messi are the only two players in history to have won the 3 aforementioned titles and the European Golden Shoe during their careers.
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Lionel Messi currently holds the record for winning the most Ballon d’Ors after he picked up a record-eighth award in 2023.
Barcelona Femeni star Alexia Putellas has won the last two women's Ballon d'Or award.
While his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors and holds the record for the most nominations and highest points in the award’s history.
Ballon d’Or trophy consists of two hemispheres of brass, which after hitting by the hammer take the form of a sphere.
Then these two parts were welded by the goldsmith, using a blowtorch.
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After that, Ball carver filled the ball with tar and then used the pencil on the polished surface to form the seams of the ball.
Ballon d’Or has a height of 28 cm, a diameter of 22 cm, and it is a sphere in shape.
The “Golden ball” is firstly filled with a wax-like material that is chiseled to give the shape.
Then the surface of the ball is covered with five kilograms of 18-carat gold.
The first-ever Ballon d’Or trophy was made by the Mallerio dits Meller family..
And the current Ballon d’Or trophy is designed by François Mellerio.
As of 2024, the Ballon d’Or is estimated to be worth $600,000, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
6. Stanley Cup Trophy – $650,000 (Ice Hockey)
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The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion.
It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) considers it to be one of the "most important championships available to the sport".
The first Cup was awarded in 1893 to Montreal Hockey Club, and winners from 1893 to 1914 were determined by challenge games and league play.
Professional teams first became eligible to challenge for the Stanley Cup in 1906.
There are actually three Stanley Cups: the original bowl of the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup", the authenticated "Presentation Cup", and the spelling-corrected "Permanent Cup" on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever the Presentation Cup is not available.
While the NHL has maintained control over the trophy itself and its associated trademarks, the NHL does not actually own the trophy but uses it by agreement with the two Canadian trustees of the cup.
The original bowl was made of silver and is 18.5 centimetres (7.28 inches) high and 29 centimetres (11.42 inches) wide.
The current Stanley Cup is topped with a copy of the original bowl, made of a silver and nickel alloy. It has a height of 89.54 centimetres (35.25 inches) and weighs 15.5 kilograms (34.5 lb).
Like the Grey Cup, and unlike the trophies awarded by the other major professional sports leagues of North America, a new Stanley Cup is not made every year.
The winners originally kept it until a new champion was crowned, but winning teams currently get the Stanley Cup during the summer and a limited number of days during the season.
Since the 1914–15 season, the Cup has been won a combined 103 times by 20 current NHL teams and five teams no longer in existence.
It was not awarded in 1919 because of the Spanish flu epidemic and in 2005 because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.
It was held by nine different teams between 1893 and 1914.
The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful team in the competition having have won it a record 24 times and are the most recent Canadian-based team to win it, doing so in 1993.
The Detroit Red Wings have won it 11 times, the most of any United States-based NHL team, most recently in 2008.
The current holders of the cup are the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL after their victory against the Florida Panthers in 2023.
By 2017, over 3,000 different names, including the names of over 1,500 players, had been engraved on it.
The Stanley Cup Trophy is currently valued at $650,000, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
5. FA Cup trophy - $1 million (Football)
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The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football.
First played during the 1871–72 season, the FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world.
It is organised by and named after The Football Association (The FA).
Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its headline sponsor, and a concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970.
The competition is open to all eligible clubs down to Level 9 of the English football league system with Level 10 clubs acting as stand-ins in the event of non-entries from above.
Included in the competition are 20 professional clubs in the Premier League (level 1), 72 professional clubs in the English Football League (levels 2 to 4), and all clubs in steps 1–5 of the National League System (levels 5 to 9) as well as a tiny number of step 6 clubs acting as stand-ins for non-entries above.
A record 763 clubs competed in the 2011–12 season, and the tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the final.
Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cups; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design, introduced in 1911.
The winners of the FA Cup also qualify for the UEFA Europa League and are guaranteed a place in the upcoming FA Community Shield.
Premier League club Arsenal are the most successful club in the competition having won a record 14 titles, and Arsène Wenger is the most successful manager in the history of the competition, having won seven finals as Arsenal's manager.
Manchester City are the current holders, having defeated local rivals Manchester United in the 2023 final.
As of 2024, The Emirates FA Cup is currently valued at $1 million, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
4. Borg-Warner Trophy – $1.3 million (Motorsport)
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The Borg-Warner Trophy is the trophy presented to the winner of the Indianapolis 500.
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race,and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States.
The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May.
It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing".
The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date.
The BorgWarner trophy is named for and was commissioned by automotive supplier BorgWarner.
It is permanently housed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Speedway, Indiana.
Unveiled at a 1936 dinner hosted by then-Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker, the trophy was officially declared the annual prize for Indianapolis 500 victors.
As of 2024, this trophy is estimated to be worth $1.3 million, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
3. NP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games trophy – $1.3 million (Tennis)
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The diamond games which is also known as (BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games), is a women's professional WTA tournament.
In 2007, Amélie Mauresmo won a golden racquet decorated with diamonds
Recently, the new design and changes made to it’s trophy was unveiled in 2008, and it featured a golden racquet and a ball, and was decorated with 2008 diamonds.
The Diamond Games offers a trophy to any player who wins the singles three times in five years.
As of 2024, this trophy is estimated to be worth $1.3 million, making it one of the most expensive trophies in the world.
2. Woodlawn Vase Trophy – $2.5 million (Horse Riding)
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The Woodlawn Vase is an American trophy given annually to the winning owner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs (1+3⁄16 miles (1,900 m)) on dirt.
The vase was first awarded in 1861 to a stakes-winning mare named Mollie Jackson in Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1917, the Woodlawn Vase became the official trophy for the winner of the second jewel of the Triple Crown and was awarded to the Preakness winner Kalitan.
For many years the trophy was given to the winning owner to keep for one year until the next running of the race.
However, after 1953, the winning owner of the horse that won The Preakness Stakes was no longer allowed to keep the trophy for the year.
This trophy is one of the most expensive trophies in the world, currently worth $2.5 million.
1. FIFA World Cup Trophy – $20 million (Football)
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The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup is the most expensive trophy in the world.
The FIFA World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body.
The tournament has been held every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War.
The reigning champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 tournament, defeating 2018 winners France on penalties in the final in Qatar.
As of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, 22 final tournaments have been held and a total of 80 national teams have competed.
The trophy has been won by eight national teams. Brazil, with five wins, are the only team to have played in every tournament.
The other World Cup winners are Germany and Italy, with four titles each; Argentina, with three titles; France and inaugural winner Uruguay, each with two titles; and England and Spain, with one title each.
From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winning team.
It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president Jules Rimet who set up the first tournament.
In 1970, Brazil's third triumph in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently.
However, the trophy was stolen in 1983 and has never been recovered, reportedly believed to have been melted down by the thieves.
After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb).
The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.
The new World Cup trophy which is composed of 18-carat gold with two layers of semi-precious malachite is not awarded to the winning nation permanently, as there is only one original in the world.
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World Cup winners retain the trophy only until the post-match celebration is finished.
They are awarded a gold-plated replica rather than the solid gold original immediately afterwards.
The World Cup is the most prestigious association football tournament in the world, as well as the most widely viewed and followed single sporting event in the world.
The viewership of the 2018 World Cup was estimated to be 3.57 billion (close to half of the global population), while the engagement with 2022 World Cup was estimated to be around 5 billion with close to 1.5 billion people watching the final match.
Since 2006, winners of the competition are also awarded the right to wear the FIFA Champions Badge, up until the time at which the winner of the next competition is decided.
The FIFA World Cup is undisputedly the No.1 most expensive trophy in the world, estimated to be worth around a staggering $20 million.
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