NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature tailor-made Outstanding Player of the Match trophies for each of the 104 matches at next year’s tournament.
With the help of Michelob Ultra and FIFA, trophy creator Victor Solomon will see his handmade trophies, first revealed on Thursday’s “Fox & Friends,” presented to the stars of each match.
“No bullshit—, this team and this opportunity has been one of the most fun creative collaborations I’ve ever had,” Solomon said in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Argentina striker Lionel Messi lifts the FIFA World Cup Trophy as he celebrates with supporters the victory of the Qatar 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha, on December 18, 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ll have a partner that will come in and say, ‘All right, we have to have this, we have to have this, and this is what we want to look like. Here’s a boat, a bunch of things that it has to look like.’ I think with what we had done with the [NBA] championship bottle before, I think maybe I had a little equity with the team, but Michelob Ultra came to me and said, “whatever you want to do.” And they really gave me the creative flexibility and freedom to explore what would be a relevant object for this honor.”
Solomon has created numerous trophies in the past, including the Larry O’Brien Trophy given to NBA champions. For the past NBA Finals, he also designed Michelob Ultra championship bottles that were given to the Oklahoma City Thunder to celebrate in the locker room.
“I’ve had the privilege of being a part of such milestones in the sport of basketball, and I think my partnership with Michelob Ultra was a lot of fun for both parties in reinventing the championship bottle. I think everyone was like, ‘That was so great, we had such a fun time working together, let’s go back. And oh, by the way, it’s going to be like the biggest, craziest international stage ever,'” Solomon said. It’s been a pleasure to work with the team again to consider this honor and think about how we can elevate it for such an exciting time. »
The trophy features an hourglass shape similar to the World Cup, as well as a 26-degree slope at the top to represent the year of the tournament. There are also 104 facets, representing the number of matches in the tournament.
Each “Top Player of the Match” from the 104 World Cup matches will receive this trophy. (Michelob Ultra)
COUNTRIES, CITIES, HOST STADIUMS FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP
And the slope at the top is open, a “narrative point” that Solomon wanted to have in the trophy for a very specific reason.
“We’ve heard from every player in every sport, every player wants cups where they can have a moment to be in the locker room and have a drink,” Solomon said.
So expect some Michelob Ultras to be drunk on the trophy. But Solomon said it’s a way for athletes and fans watching at home to have some sort of commonality.
“Guys like you and me, when we’re done for the day, we could crack a Michelob Ultra, that’s our trophy for the day. ‘I deserved this shit—. I’m going to relax a little.’ So as we looked at the formal approach to this trophy, we loved the idea of it being something that would have the functionality of being drunk if someone wanted to go that route, just to kind of symbolize the parallel between the fans at home watching this, and they’re having their own sort of trophy experience with Michelob Ultra and then what Michelob Ultra has with their player at the end of the match, they can crown their achievement as well. So that played a very important role,” Solomon said.
And just like celebrating with a beer, Solomon recognizes the hard work that goes with it.
Promotion for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is displayed at MetLife Stadium after a FIFA announcement on February 5, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEW press via Getty Images)
“When I talk to partners and leagues, I try to make sure they understand that these guys have dedicated their lives to chasing this moment,” he said. “The thing that represents getting to the pinnacle of this experience has to be as innovative, creative and thoughtful as the players who are pursuing it. So having a partner like Michelob Ultra and FIFA who really understood that there was an appetite for this story to be told was an exciting part of this process as well.”
