Gold is a very dense and heavy metal. Calculations indicate that if the World Cup trophy were solid gold throughout, it would contain roughly 70 to 80 kilograms of gold, equivalent to about 154 pounds. That weight would be difficult for a single person to lift and wave above their head. A more likely interpretation is that the trophy’s main body contains gold, but it is not solid gold all the way through. The globe at the top is likely hollow; otherwise the trophy would not be light enough and would waste large amounts of gold. The current trophy has been used since 1974, replacing the Jules Rimet trophy.
"Gold is very heavy, it's one of the densest metals that there is. According to my calculations, if it was solid all the way through, it would have somewhere between 70 and 80kg of gold in it. That translates to 154lb or 11 stone, in old money - way too much to be lifted by a single person without tremendous difficulty."
"Poliakoff believes, quite intuitively, that the more likely situation is that when FIFA say 'solid gold', they mean that there is nothing but gold in the main body of the trophy - but not that it is 'solid' in the sense of being gold all the way through. The professor believes that the globe at the top of the trophy, at the very least, is hollow."
"Otherwise, Poliakoff says, "I don't think that it would be light enough for people to wave above their heads, and also it would be a big waste of gold." The current World Cup trophy has been in use since 1974, when it replaced the old Jules Rimet trophy that England fans will recognise from that iconic photo of Bobby Moore at Wembley."
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