KARACHI: Four years on, Lahore will once again host the FIFA World Cup trophy.

The organisers of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour announced on Tuesday that the prestigious golden trophy, which depicts two fingers supporting a globe, will arrive in Lahore on June 7 instead of Islamabad, which was originally slated to host it.

A short news release announcing that the trophy will come to Lahore did not specifically state why the venue was being changed but it is understood that is due to the political uncertainty in the country.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which is held in every World Cup year, also visited Lahore during its first visit to Pakistan in 2018, when former France midfielder Christian Karembeu accompanied the trophy.

Karembeu, who won the World Cup with Les Bleus in 1998, is also coming this time around with Pakistan being one of 51 stops on the trophy tour.

This year’s World Cup is being held in Qatar from Nov 21 to Dec 18.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022