Soccer fans in Halifax got a rare chance Saturday to see one of most iconic and recognizable trophies in sports.
The original World Cup trophy was in town as part of a seven stop Canadian tour in partnership with Coca-Cola Canada and FIFA to bring fans up close and personal with the trophy and share in the excitement of the upcoming tournament.
Hundreds of fans lined up outside the BMO Soccer Centre in Halifax Saturday. Some lined up hours before the event for a close encounter with the gold-plated prize that’s awarded to the world’s best soccer team every four years.
FIFA World Cup champion Alessandro Nesta unveiled the trophy in Halifax, along with other dignitaries at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
“After the final you don’t understand nothing, the moment and the emotion is too big to understand,” said Nesta, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.
Zak Ouazzani and his family travelled to Halifax from Moncton to see the World Cup. Ouazzani said this is his second time seeing the iconic trophy.
“As soon as we heard the trophy would be in Halifax we planned on coming to see the trophy,” said Ouazzani, who’s originally from Morocco. “I’m from a country where we absolutely love soccer, but we actually call it football there.”
Ouazzani plans to travel to Toronto with his wife and two daughters in June to catch some of the 2026 World Cup games, which are being played in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“We won’t get to see a game in the stadium but we have our tickets in the Fan Zone,” said Ouazzani.
The FIFA World Cup trophy tour of Canada began in Vancouver last month and made stops in Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal before Halifax. It will continue with stops in Ottawa on Sunday and wrap up with stops in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday.
The 2026 World Cup tournament begins on June 11, with games played across 16 different North American cities before it wraps on July 19.
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