The winners of Sunday's World Cup final between Italy and France will receive the world's most coveted sporting prize. Following are five facts about the trophy.

South African President Thabo Mbeki (L) and FIFA President Sepp Blatter (2ndR) lift up the World Cup trophy as they are watched by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2ndL) and CAF President Issa Hayatou (R) during the official unveiling ceremony of the emblem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, in Berlin July 7, 2006. [Reuters]

The FIFA World Cup Trophy was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, who was born in 1921. His design was chosen from 53 entries. The 36.8cm high trophy is made of 18-carat gold and weighs 6.175 kilos.

The trophy was first presented to the 1974 World Cup winning captain, Franz Beckenbauer of West Germany. It replaced the original Jules Rimet Trophy, which was won outright by Brazil when they became world champions for the third time in 1970.

The new trophy cannot be won outright, according to new FIFA rules. The winners keep it until the next tournament and receive a gold-plated replica.

Only five countries have won the World Cup since the new trophy was introduced and that statistic will not change after Sunday's final. The previous winners of the FIFA World Cup Trophy are West Germany in 1974 and 1990, Argentina in 1978 and 1986, Italy in 1982, Brazil in 1994 and 2002 and France in 1998.

The name of each winning team is engraved, in English, on the base of the Trophy. There are enough spaces to last until the 2038 World Cup.