The winners of Sunday’s World Cup final will be bestowed with the tournament’s gold medals and the iconic FIFA World Cup trophy, but they will also be given championship rings, the first time they have been awarded in World Cup history, and an indication of the increasing Americanization of FIFA.
FIFA has said there will be 30 specially created rings for the members of the winning team.
The captain and head coach will get temporary rings to wear right after the final at New York Stadium.
Later the final versions will be individually customized and then the winning country’s identity will also be engraved onto them.
The various rings will all be inscribed on one side with the FIFA World Cup trophy and the other side will show specific information about the World Cup champions.
The players’ rings will be a limited edition of 2,026 rings each with a unique number.
The other 1,996 will be sold globally as official collectables for fans.
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This will be the first time the tradition of a Championship ring will be implemented at a FIFA competition as Championship rings are a tradition in Major North American Sports leagues, such as the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and NHL.
The rings were the latest proof of FIFA’s attempt to bring some of the elements of American sports into the World Cup.
A high-profile halftime entertainment show will also be held at Sunday’s final, which is akin to the Super Bowl.
Another interesting development during the tournament has been the mandatory water breaks around the 22nd and 67th minute of each game.
According to FIFA, the breaks are for the sake of the players to avoid the extreme heat and humidity in the North American region.
But the policy has been divisive, with opponents claiming the gaps in the schedule are causing the games to stall, giving coaches more tactics to play with and leaving more time available for commercial exploitation, while FIFA insists the reason for the breaks is for the players’ well-being.
Also read: World Cup final awaits as Spain, Argentina complete preparations
