Sunday 04 March 2018, 17:31

Trophy Tour makes a return to South Africa

  • The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour™ by Coca-Cola visits South Africa

  • The Trophy visited Johannesburg and Cape Town during its latest stop

  • Guests included 2010 FIFA World Cup™ winner Carles Puyol

The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola continued the Africa leg of its global journey with a three-day visit to South Africa, which successfully hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

The trip included two days in Johannesburg (1 and 2 March) before concluding with a visit to Cape Town (3 March). It was the fourth time that the country had played host to the Trophy Tour, making it one of the few countries in the world to have hosted every edition.

Among the local dignitaries to greet the Trophy’s arrival at the Johannesburg airport were South Africa’s newly appointed Sports and Recreation minister Thokozile Xasa, who was making her first public appearance in her new role. Though South Africa came short in qualifying for Russia 2018, Xasa encouraged all South Africans to support the five teams that will represent Africa at this year’s global finals.

Also in attendance on Thursday was South Africa Football Association president Dr Danny Jordaan, who spoke about his great memories from the 2010 World Cup and the time the Trophy Tour visited with Nelson Mandela.

The following day, the Trophy Tour visited the Maponya Mall in the township of Soweto. The mall is a short distance from the famous Vilakazi Street, which used to be home to Mandela and fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

On Saturday 3 March, the Trophy Tour travelled to Cape Town, where it was present for a consumer event at the Newlands Cricket Ground. Among the special guests at the event was 2010 World Cup winner Carles Puyol, who presented the Trophy to excited fans at the famous cricket stadium.

The former Barcelona and Spain defender spoke of his emotions of holding the trophy in the country where he and his Spanish team-mates first held it aloft as world champions nearly eight years ago.

Following the consumer event, a concert headlined by local hip hop artist Cassper Nyovest took place. A regular of the South African tour stops, Cassper collaborated with Jason Derulo on a localized version of the Coca-Cola Anthem for the 2018 World Cup. The song, called ‘Colours’, is a celebration of racial diversity across the globe.

For the latest updates from the Trophy Tour, including upcoming tour destinations and dates, exclusive interviews, photos and videos, visit the official website, the official Facebook page, and the official Instagram page.