Local Business Selected to Engrave Trophy at World Cup Final
WHO:
Post Journal - John Centi, owner of Ink Wells, a Jamestown business.
Post Journal - Terran Forres, awarded the Superior Player of the Match trophy for the FIFA World Cup final.
Post Journal - Michelob Ultra, sponsor of the Superior Player of the Match for the World Cup.
Observer Today - Victor Solomon, designer of the trophy.
WHAT:
Post Journal - Ink Wells was selected to engrave the trophy for the final match of the FIFA World Cup.
Post Journal - The trophy for the final match was awarded to Terran Forres, who scored the winning goal for Spain.
Post Journal - There were 104 total matches in the World Cup, with each match having a Superior Player of the Match trophy.
Observer Today - Centi described the engraving process as having "one shot" with no backup trophies available.
WHERE:
Post Journal - The engraving took place at Met Life Stadium in New York.
Post Journal - Centi was in the FIFA office near the tunnel where athletes enter and exit the match.
WHEN:
Post Journal - The engraving occurred during the final match of the FIFA World Cup.
Post Journal - Centi's flight was delayed and ultimately cancelled due to storms and Canadian wildfire smoke on the day before the World Cup finale.
Post Journal - Centi left for Met Life Stadium at 2 a.m. on the day of the World Cup final and arrived at 8 a.m.
WHY:
Post Journal - Centi was chosen to engrave the trophy due to previous work with Michelob Ultra, which established trust.
HOW:
Post Journal - Centi had to engrave the trophy without prior testing or preparation due to flight issues.
Post Journal - The trophy was made of mirror polished stainless steel, which posed challenges for engraving.
(UPDATED August 8, 2026 07:47 UTC)
In a remarkable moment during the FIFA World Cup final, Terran Forres was awarded the Superior Player of the Match trophy after scoring the winning goal for Spain, with the trophy being engraved by John Centi, owner of Ink Wells. The engraving took place at Met Life Stadium in New York, where Centi faced challenges due to flight delays caused by storms and wildfire smoke, arriving just in time to engrave the mirror polished stainless steel trophy without prior testing. This partnership with Michelob Ultra, the trophy's sponsor, was built on Centi's previous work, establishing the trust needed for such a high-stakes task.