THE World Cup has arrived, almost two years early.

The 18-carat trophy, for which the world’s top football teams will compete on South African fields in 2010, went on show in Sandton yesterday. It stands 36cm tall and weighs 5kg.

This is the second World Cup, the first having been the Jules Rimet trophy, which was permanently awarded to Brazil in 1970 because they had won it four times by then. That trophy was stolen in 1966, just four months before the World Cup in England. It was found just seven days later wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in London, by a dog named Pickles.

Fifa was not taking any chances with the latest trophy, especially in Joburg. Two heavily built bodyguards kept a watchful eye on it during yesterday’s showing.