The short answer
The Europa League trophy was created for the first UEFA Cup final in 1972. Swiss artist Alex W. Diggelmann designed it and the Bertoni workshop in Milan made it. The silver octagonal cup stands 65cm high, weighs 15kg and has no handles, making it UEFA's heaviest major trophy. The competition changed name in 2009, but the trophy did not. UEFA keeps the original and gives the winner a full-size replica.
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The cup was built for a new competition
UEFA created the UEFA Cup for 1971/72 from the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup lineage. Its new prize was designed in 1971 so it could be presented at the first final the following year.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolverhampton Wanderers over two legs in 1972 and became the first club to lift it. The trophy therefore begins with the UEFA Cup itself, unlike an older object reassigned to a new tournament.
Diggelmann designed an object without handles
Swiss artist Alex W. Diggelmann designed the trophy and Milan’s Bertoni workshop crafted it. A group of sculpted footballers appears to jostle beneath the cup; structurally and symbolically, they support the octagonal vessel above them.
There are no handles. That gives the cup a different lifting motion and silhouette from the large-handled Champions League trophy.
It is UEFA’s heaviest major trophy
The cup stands 65cm high, measures 33cm wide and 23cm deep, and weighs 15kg. UEFA describes it as its heaviest silverware. Its yellow marble plinth contributes to both mass and appearance.
Weight is not a proxy for rank. The Champions League cup is taller but roughly half as heavy. The comparison is about construction, not the status of the competitions.
The 2009 rebrand did not replace it
The UEFA Cup became the UEFA Europa League in 2009/10 as the tournament adopted a new identity and format. The trophy itself continued unchanged.
This is the same kind of institutional continuity seen in other competitions: format can evolve while the prize remains the physical link between eras. The site’s guide to promotion and relegation explains a similar difference between competition machinery and sporting identity.
The original remains with UEFA
Earlier practice allowed the holder to keep the original temporarily and return it before the next final. Current regulations place the original in UEFA’s custody and give the champion a full-size replica.
An old proposal that permanent ownership might follow three consecutive or five total wins was never activated. The governing rule now removes that possibility.
The figures make the design’s argument
The players beneath the bowl are sometimes described as fighting for the ball. Read as a complete object, they are carrying the competition together. The UEFA emblem occupies the cup above them and the winners are recorded at the base.
That makes the trophy more than a large vessel: it is a diagram of a European club competition. The teams support the contest, the institution defines it, and each champion joins a history that began in 1972 rather than beginning again with the Europa League name. It is one example of the custody problem explored across the oldest sports trophies.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy is the Europa League trophy?
It weighs 15 kilograms, making it the heaviest major UEFA trophy.
Why does the Europa League trophy have no handles?
The original Diggelmann design is a handleless octagonal silver cup supported by sculpted players.
Who made the trophy?
Swiss artist Alex W. Diggelmann designed it and the Bertoni workshop in Milan crafted it.
Was it replaced when the UEFA Cup became the Europa League?
No. The competition changed name for 2009/10, but the trophy continued.
Does the winning club keep the original?
No. UEFA retains the original and awards a full-size replica to the champion.
Who first lifted it?
Tottenham Hotspur won the inaugural UEFA Cup final in 1972 and became its first holder.