The FIFA World Cup trophy has finally arrived in Pakistan, as the charted plane carrying the trophy landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport.
The trophy made a historic stop in Lahore as part of the CocaCola FIFA World Cup Trophy tour, visiting no less than 91 cities across 51 countries and six continents before settling back in host-nation Russia in May.
Former French World Cup winner Christian Karembeu, former Pakistan’s T20 World Cup winning skipper Younis Khan, singers Quratulain Baloch, Momina Mustehsan, actor Maya Ali and other top local figures brought the trophy on a special chartered flight from Thailand to Pakistan.
The trophy will remain in Lahore for a day, where it will be put on public display at a park during an ongoing festival.
The current trophy was introduced in 1974, is made of 18 karat gold with a malachite base and stands 36.8 centimetres high and weighs 6.1 kilograms. The trophy depicts two human figures holding up the earth.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour kicked off in September 2017 in Russia. During its journey across six continents, the trophy will travel 126,000 kilometres in the months leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup will run from June 14 to July 15 this year.
