Football being the most watched sport in the world, teams want to impress their fans who throng stadiums in large numbers to experience the ecstasy. Ordinarily, awards and trophies in football are accompanied by prize money for the best competitors.
Despite the sheer number of factors to consider as far as prize money is concerned, the reward is mostly subject to competition, prestige, and viewership.
It is rare to find football trophies with equivalent worth and value. The prize money after winning a tournament, interestingly, might be relatively higher than the trophy awarded. All said, let us explore the most expensive international trophy in football.
10. English Premier League – $10,000
The EPL is the most televised and watched football competition worldwide. It has some of the greatest players who have made a mark in football. However, its popularity notwithstanding, the league trophy is ranked tenth as the most expensive award with a prize money of $10,000.
The trophy is a blend of pure silver, gilded silver, and a semi-precious gemstone, malachite, which makes it one of the most prestigious leagues in English football.
The competition has twenty teams, which play home and away matches with the last three relegated. Manchester United remains the most successful English team, having managed to win the trophy 21 times.
9. UEFA Champions League – $15,000
The UEFA Champions League is considered widely the second most prestigious competition in football. It is worth $15,000. Eligible teams are only those from the European continent.
Real Madrid is the most successful team in the competition, with thirteen trophies. The organizers of the competition have experimented with numerous designs, and the current design is the fifth since its inception.
The UEFA Champions League, widely regarded as the world’s second most prestigious football competition, is worth $15,000. Only clubs from European countries can compete in the premier competition, which has a long history. The body chose to retain its original trophy in the 2008/09 campaign with winners awarded its replica.
Jürg Stadelmann was the designer of the trophy and he completed the assignment in Berne, close to the UEFA Offices. The 2021/22 trophy went to Real Madrid after defeating Liverpool in the finals.
8. Bundesliga Meisterschale – $57,102
Winners of German Bundesliga receive the Bundesliga Meisterschale, commonly as the Bundesliga. The design and crafting of the trophy were done by Kolner Werkschulen by Elisabeth Treskow, a well-known professor of art. The competition was incepted in 1964, and the trophy is made up of gold, and silver, making up the weight of 71.98 carats.
The most successful team in the Bundesliga competition is Bayern Munich have won the most in the past two recent decades. Eighteen teams participate in the Bundesliga, all playing home and away matches.
7. Serie A – $66,000
The Serie A title, also known as Scudetto, is the trophy that the winner of the top-flight receives. Ettore Calvelli, a renowned sculptor, crafted the trophy and it was named the Trophy of Champions of Italy. The Serie A title has a blue base topped with a golden ring. It weighs eight kilograms and measures 58 centimeters in height.
Twenty clubs compete for the title, and all visit each other to play home and away matches. Juventus remains the most successful club in Serie A after amassing thirty-six titles. The most recent title went to AC Milan.
6. Africa Cup of Nations Trophy – $150,000
The Africa Cup of Nations is a football competition between African nations and the most prestigious and largest in the African continent. Egypt has emerged as the victor on most occasions but recently lost to Senegal.
Initially, the Cup was named Confederation of African Football (CAF). It later changed to Trophy of African Unity, and the third and current version was designed in Italy and is gold-plated.
5. Ballon d’Or Trophy
The Ballon d’Or is possibly one of the most prestigious individual accolades in football. The award is ranked fifth globally on the list of most expensive trophies. The award was first presented in 1956 by France Football magazine and went to become the most publicized award in the world.
A renowned French jeweler, Mellerio dits Meller designed the trophy, and developed it from gold and brass, weighing twelve kilograms and measuring twenty-eight centimeters.
Lionel Messi of PSG has won the most Ballon d’Or, after taking it home seven times. Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to win the award five times, and the female category of the award was recently won by Alexa Petellas in 2018 with the 2018 award going to Megan Rapinoe Hegerberg. The award was not presented to the player in 2020 because of the Coronavirus.
4. The FA Cup Trophy – $1,180,000
The FA Cup is the oldest competition in England and globally and the most expensive football trophy in the world. The trophy is valued at $1,180,000 with Arsenal as the most successful team in the competition.
Furthermore, Arsenal was the first team to win the trophy and has sustained its leadership in terms of trophies won. The FA Cup is made of silver, and it weighs 6.3 kilograms with a height of 61.5 centimeters.
3. UEFA Europa League Trophy – $4.5 million
Europa Cup is the award given to the winners of Europe’s second-tier football competition every year. The cup is made from silver and has a yellow marble base.
To qualify for the competition, teams that fail to qualify for the Champions League are selected to participate in the 32-team cup competition.
2. Copa Libertadores Trophy – $8.5 million
Copa Libertadores is the trophy given to the winner of the Copa Libertadores de America held annually. The trophy is made of silver with some bronze on the crest and awarded to the winner of South American football.
1. FIFA World Cup Trophy – $20,000,000
FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament and it is worth twenty million. The Cup is the most expensive football trophy in the world. It was crafted in 1974 and it goes to the winner of the global football competition. The competition takes place after every four years.
Conclusion
Who knew that Europa League is worth more than the Champions League and that Copa Libertadores and the FA Cup are worth more than the Premier League? Very interesting indeed. For more insights, read more.