FIFA to award championship rings to World Cup 2026 winners for first time

FIFA will present bespoke championship rings to the winners of the FIFA World Cup 2026, introducing the honour for the first time in the tournament's history alongside the iconic trophy and gold medals.

According to the FIFA website, the rings take inspiration from a long-standing tradition in American sport and will be awarded to the champions after the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 19 (local time).

A total of 2,026 individually numbered championship rings will be produced to mark the 2026 tournament. Thirty rings will be reserved for the winning squad and coaching staff, while the remaining 1,996 will be sold worldwide as officially licensed memorabilia for fans.

Each ring will feature the FIFA World Cup trophy on one side, with the opposite side customised to represent the winning nation. Every ring will be individually numbered, made to fit its recipient and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

During the post-match celebrations, the winning captain and head coach will receive temporary championship rings. The final 30 rings for the champions will later be custom-made and formally presented to ensure a personalised fit.

Argentina booked their place in the final after a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semi-final. After falling behind in the first half, Enzo Fernández levelled the score before Lautaro Martínez struck a stoppage-time winner to send the defending champions into another World Cup final. The defeat ended England's hopes of reaching their first World Cup final since 1966.

Spain, meanwhile, reached the World Cup final for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2010 with a 2-0 win over France. Lamine Yamal played a pivotal role by winning a penalty after dispossessing Lucas Digne, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.

Pedro Porro added Spain's second goal after the break following a well-worked move involving Dani Olmo. Yamal also had a goal ruled out for offside, while late efforts from Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni failed to breach Spain's defence, which recorded its sixth clean sheet in seven matches. The victory secured Spain's second appearance in a FIFA World Cup final.