JAMAICAN football lovers will get a close-up view the prestigious FIFA 2014 World Cup trophy when it comes to the island on October 5, it was announced yesterday.

The tour of the golden sculpture by Coca-Cola will give more than one million people across the world the chance to experience football’s top prize in their own country.

The prestigious trophy will make its first ever appearance in the region at the National Indoor Sports Complex on Sunday, October 6, as details of its arrival in Jamaica were made public at a press briefing at the Spanish Court Hotel yesterday.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola is an exhibition of the real, one-of-a-kind, solid-gold FIFA World Cup Trophy. The event will allow fans to enjoy a rare close-up view of world football’s greatest prize.

This will be the largest and longest global tour of the FIFA World Cup trophy, which will make a nine-month journey across the world.

The tour by Coca-Cola will be the first ever Latin America tour, with events in 39 countries across the region that is also home to the host nation, Brazil.

Maritza Ballack, franchise brand manager of Coca-Cola for Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, said through the partnership with FIFA, Coca-Cola will bring to life a marketing initiative that will make the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the world’s most accessible and inclusive event.

“Seeing the FIFA World Cup Trophy in person will be a very memorable experience, and in my opinion, a once in a lifetime experience for most of us, especially in the stunning way that FIFA and Coca-Cola will present it to our fans, including some groundbreaking innovations that will make it an unforgettable day for anyone who takes part in the event,” Ballack noted.

The tour officially starts in Brazil on Monday, September 9, and will make the first international stop there, before travelling to Fiji, Vanuatu and Tahiti on tour in the South Pacific, then get to Jamaica on Saturday, October 5 as the first point of its appointment of the Caribbean leg of the tour.

Meanwhile, Tamara Ward, Coca-Cola country manager at Wisynco, informed yesterday’s gathering that World Cup fans can be a part of Coca-Cola’s, FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour experience in Jamaica by collecting four specially-marked Coca-Cola 20oz and 355ml labels to be redeemed for free tickets to attend the showcase on Sunday, October 6 at The National Indoor Arena.

The promotion runs from Monday, August 19 until Sunday, October 6, while tickets last and will see persons dressed in gold at various events and strategic places across the island promoting the event.

The tour continues through Central America and the Caribbean Thursday, November 7, and from there will travel to Africa, Middle East, Asia, South and North America, and Europe, to return to Brazil in late April 2014, in time for the start of the FIFA World Cup.