Emmanuel Maradas, a spokesman for FIFA, the world soccer governing body, told a news conference that the FIFA World Cup Trophy tour symbolized the unity of soccer fans on all continents.
Maradas said the trophy would be brought to 31 cities on five continents; previous tours had involved only countries that had taken part in the World Cup finals, held every four years.
The trophy will be exhibited at the Ukrainian House cultural center in Kiev on April 1.
This year Ukraine will make its debut at the World Cup finals.
The tour started in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, on January 7, and will end on April 10 in Rome. The global tour will be followed by a national tour through Germany, the host nation of the 2006 championship, which will run from June 9 through July 9.
The 6.175-kg (13.6-pound) trophy is made of 18-carat gold. Its base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite, while the bottom of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each of the world champions since 1974.
