WINNERS BEWARE

The World Cup, the world’s most prestigious sporting trophy, is one of a kind, right?

Actually, no.

There are three World Cups. The original belongs to FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, and it is loaned to the winning country for 3 1/2 years before it is returned to FIFA, which then displays it in the country hosting the next World Cup tournament.

The second and third trophies are gold-plated replicas--one given to the winning country to keep, the other used for ceremonial and commercial purposes.