Louis Vuitton has made sure soccer’s ultimate prize will arrive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final on July 19 in championship-level style.
As spotted in GQ, the French luxury house has unveiled a custom trunk designed to transport and present the World Cup trophy before it is handed to the tournament’s winning captain. Crafted at Louis Vuitton’s historic workshop in Asnières-sur-Seine, located just outside Paris, the case is wrapped in the house’s signature Monogram canvas. Hand-painted gold “V” details cover its exterior, representing both “Victory” and “Vuitton,” while the interior is finished in light beige leather and shaped specifically around one of the most recognizable trophies in sports.
Louis Vuitton Chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari told GQ that the relationship between the luxury house and the world’s most popular sport is rooted in their ability to create unforgettable moments.
“Football creates moments of pure, universal emotion,” Beccari said, explaining that Louis Vuitton wants to capture and elevate those occasions. Beccari added that the case has become more than elaborate protection for the trophy. Its craftsmanship, materials, and finishing details are all intended to add weight to the ceremonial reveal before the World Cup champion raises the prize. “The trophy trunk becomes part of the ritual,” he told the publication.
Louis Vuitton is also releasing a limited-edition collection inspired by the design. Three of the maison’s classic trunks will be reimagined with FIFA World Cup branding and the same gold “V” motif used on the official trophy case. The 2026 edition is not Louis Vuitton’s first time protecting the World Cup trophy. The company began creating custom cases for FIFA at the 2010 tournament in South Africa and returned for the 2014, 2018, and 2022 competitions. The new trunk marks its fifth consecutive men’s World Cup assignment.
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The case is built to hold a trophy weighing approximately 6.175 kilograms and constructed from 18-karat gold and malachite. Louis Vuitton’s relationship with the World Cup has also placed its trunks alongside some iconic championship images, including France’s victory in 2018.
The FIFA partnership is only one chapter of Louis Vuitton’s expanding presence across sports. The house has created custom cases for Formula 1 trophies, the Ballon d’Or, the Australian Open, the Davis Cup, Roland-Garros, the Rugby World Cup, the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the League of Legends Summoner’s Cup. It also produced trunks for the medals and torches used during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Louis Vuitton’s formal trophy-trunk legacy stretches back to its work with the America’s Cup. The house created a bespoke case for the sailing competition in 1983 before introducing what it identifies as its first Trophy Trunk in 1988, an Epi blue leather design made for the America’s Cup. A red Epi leather version followed for the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1992, helping establish the brand’s “Victory travels in Louis Vuitton” tradition.
The trunk itself reaches even deeper into the company’s history. Louis Vuitton opened his first Paris store in 1854 after spending 17 years learning under master trunk-maker and packer Romain Maréchal. He later disrupted the luggage business by replacing the era’s traditional rounded lids with flat-topped trunks covered in Trianon grey canvas. The lighter, stronger and stackable design was better suited for modern travel and became the foundation of the company he built.
The Asnières workshop where the 2026 World Cup case was created opened in 1859. Louis Vuitton selected the location because it was connected to Paris by railway and positioned near the Seine, allowing poplar wood used for trunk frames to be transported to the workshop.
That heritage was impossible to miss in New York City in November 2024. While Louis Vuitton’s Fifth Avenue flagship at East 57th Street underwent a major renovation, the building was covered by an enormous installation resembling six stacked travel trunks that rose approximately 15 stories above the intersection.
Across the street, Louis Vuitton opened a temporary five-floor flagship at 6 East 57th Street featuring a soaring 16-meter installation made from the house’s iconic trunks. The location also introduced retail, a café, a chocolate shop and cultural programming under one roof.
More than 170 years after Louis Vuitton began transforming the way people traveled, the company’s original calling card remains at the center of its identity. This time, the precious cargo will be headed home with a world champion.
