Why Argentina Won’t Keep World Cup Trophy After Qatar Triumph

• Argentina are expected to return the original World Cup trophy despite winning it in Qatar
• The South Americans will instead get a replica trophy made of bronze and coated with gold
• The original will be returned by the champions to FIFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland

Argentina will not be keeping the original World Cup trophy, despite winning the 2022 edition of the tournament in Qatar.

The South Americans staged an epic performance during the final as they saw off title holders France to be crowned the champions.

The match was decided via a thrilling penalty shootout after it ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time, with Kylian Mbappe netting a hat-trick.

Argentina emerged victors after the shootouts, scoring all four of their spot kicks as France missed two.

Argentina vs France: What happened the last time the two teams clashed?

Football

Argentina to get World Cup replica

However, according to Euro Sport, Messi's Argentina will only get a replica of the World Cup which is made of bronze and coated with gold.

The publication reports that the original World Cup trophy is 36.5 cm tall and is made of 6.175kg or 30,875 carats of 18-karat (75%) gold.

It is understood that the original trophy is kept at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, Switzerland.

However, fans often get a rare glimpse of it during tours around the world for ceremonies and appearances.

Why Argentina won't keep trophy

Meanwhile, Argentina are expected to return the World Cup trophy to Switzerland after their celebrations.

According to Goal, it had previously been a common practice for some countries to keep the real World Cup trophy for exhibition or safekeeping.

However, due to the integrity of the trophy and general safety concerns, there was a change of policy.

Modric, 37, sets sights on Nations League title for Croatia

Football

The policy change came into force after the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy was infamously stolen twice.

Messi chalks an incredible milestone

Sports Brief earlier reported that Messi broke a 56-year-old record at the World Cup, following his strike against France in the final in Qatar.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has been in sensational form at the tournament, with his contribution helping Argentina reach the final.

The goal was enough to earn Messi a place in history books, with ESPN reporting that the Argentine is now the first player to make 20 goal contributions at the World Cup since 1966.