FIFA World Cup Trophies 'Weren't For Sale,' So A Brazilian Creates His Own
To help fans root for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup 2026, a 58-year-old has made replicas of the trophy. After seeing Cafu lift the trophy in 1994, Rio de Janeiro-resident Jarbas Meneghini Carlini resolved to create his own. "They weren't for sale. So I decided to make the trophies myself," he told AP. The former metallurgist makes the replicas by hand from moulds and finishes them off with paint. They range in size and price from about USD 1 to 100. Carlini sells them to fans and tourists at the nearby Maracana stadium. But he has also gifted the trophies to legends, including Pele, Jorginho and Ronaldinho, and sent them across Brazil and around the world. The Selecao have won more World Cup titles than any other nation, but they haven't lifted the trophy since 2002. The five-time champions open their campaign against Morocco on June 13, followed by Haiti and Scotland in Group C. The 26-man squad was announced on Monday, May 18.
Jarbas Meneghini Carlini sprays a FIFA World Cup trophy replica he made, at his home in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
Jarbas Meneghini Carlini paints a FIFA World Cup trophy replica he made at his home in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
Jarbas Meneghini Carlini demonstrates how he makes FIFA World Cup trophy replicas at his home in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
Jarbas Meneghini Carlini shows off FIFA World Cup trophy replicas he made, now decorations in front of his house, in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
A fan poses with a poster of Brazilian soccer player Neymar, reading in Portuguese "Go Neymar, our hope for a sixth World Cup title" before Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad is announced, in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
Fans celebrate Neymar's inclusion in Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Bruna Prado
Screens display an image of Neymar after he was included in Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. | Photo: AP/Silvia Izquierdo
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