Fifa to award championship rings to World Cup winners

NEW YORK: Fifa said the winners of Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will be given championship rings alongside the trophy and gold medals, adding a feature more commonly associated with major North American sports to its showpiece tournament.

The governing body said 30 specially made rings will go to the victorious team after the final at New York New Jersey Stadium. According to Fifa, the captain and head coach will first be handed temporary versions immediately after the match, while the final rings will later be customised to match the identity of the champions and individually fitted before being presented.

Fifa said one side of each ring will display the World Cup trophy, while the other will include details unique to the title-winning side. The players’ rings will be part of a limited run of 2,026 individually numbered pieces. The remaining 1,996 rings will be sold to supporters around the world as officially licensed merchandise.

Championship rings have long been a fixture in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the NHL, but they have not previously been used at a Fifa competition. Their introduction comes amid a broader push by Fifa to present elements of the tournament in a way more familiar to American sports audiences.

Changes to presentation and matchday format

Sunday’s final is also set to include a major halftime entertainment show, another element more closely linked with the Super Bowl than the World Cup. In addition, mandatory hydration breaks have been used throughout the tournament, creating pauses around the 22nd and 67th minutes of matches.

Fifa has defended the policy on player-welfare grounds because of the heat and humidity of the North American summer. However, the use of the three-minute breaks regardless of whether conditions strictly required them has drawn criticism from players, coaches and fans, who say they interrupt the flow of games, allow teams extra time to regroup and effectively give coaches two additional tactical stoppages.

The pauses have also opened up commercial slots during each half, although Fifa has rejected suggestions that advertising was the reason for introducing them.

Halftime expected to run longer

Broadcasting sources said on Friday that halftime in the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina is expected to last longer than the usual 15 minutes because of the setup needed for the tournament’s first halftime entertainment show.

According to those sources, installing the stage for the 11-minute performance is expected to take about seven minutes. It was not clear how long it would then take to remove the equipment and clear the field before the second half can start.