The World Cup trophy, which stands for the highest honor of international football, began its first-ever official visit to China on Monday.

The tour is the 19th stop of the FIFA World Cup Trophy tour by Coca Cola, which started from Accra, Ghana on Jan. 7. Twenty-eight countries and regions have the chance to witness the gold cup during the whole cruise. The trophy will be exhibited at the Peking University on Wednesday.

"Of course it's the real one, not a replica. FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter will give it to the captain of this year's World Cup winner. It is made of pure gold," FIFA Media Committee member Emmanuel Maradas told Xinhua.

"China is a member of international football family, and we really feel sad that they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany. But we know China has a large number of football fans and hope they will go to see the real trophy."

Source: Xinhua