LOS ANGELES – After a nine-month tour across 90 countries, the FIFA World Cup Trophy made its final stop in Los Angeles.
Together with Coca-Cola, FIFA brought the trophy to more than one million people around the world, including every country that has won the World Cup.
During a ceremony on Friday, April 18 at LAX Airport, the golden prize was unveiled by Fernando Fiore, an Argentinian sportscaster, Sunil Gulati, President of USA Soccer, Brad Ross, the Global Football Manager of Coca Cola, and LA City Councilman Tom LaBonge.
Los Angeles marked the last of four cities on the week-long US tour, before the trophy heads to Brazil, the host country of the 2014 World Cup.
Twenty-seven cities in the country will be visited to ramp up excitement for the soccer championship in June.
On April 19 and 20, Coca-Cola set up a fan experience at LA Live, complete with Brazilian-themed entertainment, soccer-related activities, and a chance to take a picture with the trophy. The company also hosted a youth championship tournament at the StubHub Center for winning boys and girls teams from local tournaments in 10 US cities. As the grand prize, four players from the championship teams will participate at the Copa Coca-Cola Soccer Camp in Brazil this summer, a program that brings 150 players from different countries.
Washington, DC was the first stop in the US, where the trophy was given an official government welcome at the State Department by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry. Other visits included Miami and Atlanta.
