The Rule That Gave the Trophy Away
When FIFA created the World Cup in 1930, they included one unusual rule: the first country to win the tournament three times would be awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently. For most of the competition's early history, that condition seemed distant. Titles were spread across multiple nations, and no country accumulated wins quickly enough to trigger it. Then Brazil won in 1958 and again in 1962, and when the 1970 tournament arrived in Mexico, the football world knew that a third Brazilian victory would send the original trophy to Rio de Janeiro for good.
1970: Brazil Claims the Trophy Forever
Brazil's 1970 team won every match they played and beat Italy 4–1 in the final in Mexico City. It was a performance many still consider the finest in World Cup history. With that third title, the rule was triggered, and FIFA handed the Jules Rimet Trophy to Brazil as a permanent gift. The original prize, which had been awarded at every World Cup since 1930, now belonged to one country. FIFA had four years to commission a replacement before the next tournament.
A New Trophy for West Germany
FIFA held a design competition and received entries from sculptors around the world. The winning design came from Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, whose trophy depicted two human figures lifting a globe — a more abstract image than the original. The new trophy was built from 18-carat gold with a base of green malachite stone, stood 36.8 centimetres tall, and weighed 6.1 kilograms. West Germany were the first nation to lift it, winning the 1974 tournament on home soil. It has been the prize at every World Cup since.
What Happened to the Original
The Jules Rimet Trophy did not remain safely in Brazil. In December 1983, it was stolen from a display case at the Brazilian football federation's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and was never recovered. It is widely believed to have been melted down for its gold. The new trophy introduced in 1974 was designed with that kind of loss in mind — winning nations receive only a gold-plated replica to keep, while the original stays in FIFA's possession between tournaments.
Source
This article was written using information from Wikipedia.