If you’ve ever ordered custom football medals for a local rec league, your kid’s U12 team, or a weekend amateur tournament, you’ve probably stared at a sample and thought—wait, why is this one a tiny 50mm and that one a big 70mm? I get it. I’m the guy who answers emails at [Football Medals Supplier] 7 days a week, and one of the most common questions I get is some version of, “Do football medals have a specific diameter?” Spoiler: it’s not a straight yes or no, and it’s way more interesting than you’d think. Football Medals
Let’s start with the basics. When I first got into this business, 10 years ago back when I was just a part-time runner for a local award shop, I assumed medals were all built to a standard size. Turns out, football medals have no official, global diameter rule—at least not from the big governing bodies like FIFA or UEFA. Wait, hold on, that’s not totally true. Let me clarify those governing bodies, because I see them mixed up all the time. FIFA, for the World Cup and Club World Cup, actually does set size rules for their official medals. The gold, silver, and bronze medals handed out at the men’s World Cup are exactly 70mm in diameter. Women’s World Cup medals? Also 70mm. Same for the UEFA Champions League, Euro Cup, even the Premier League’s official winner medals—they all land right around that 70mm mark. But those are elite, pro-level medals. When you’re ordering for a local 10-a-side league, a high school playoff, or a corporate flag football tournament? That’s when the size changes, and that’s where most confusion comes from.
Back in the early days of my work, a coach from a small college in Ohio hit me up. He wanted medals for their conference championship, said he’d “just need standard football medal size” so he could order custom ribbons at the same time. I’d been in the game long enough to know “standard” is a garbage term, so I asked for specifics. He sent me a sample from a similar conference, and it was 65mm. Another coach from a local adult rec league called a month later, same exact question, and he wanted 50mm medals because his team’s budget was tight, and he didn’t want to pay extra for bigger metal. That’s when I realized: the “standard” doesn’t exist because the people buying them decide what works for their event.
Let’s break down why size varies, and what actually impacts the diameter you choose. First, event type. Pro events (FIFA, UEFA, Olympic football) need big, bold medals that look good on TV, that’s why 70mm is their sweet spot. When Ronaldo lifts the Champions League trophy, that big shiny medal around his neck? 70mm. That’s also the most popular size for amateur regional tournaments, state championship games, and youth all-star games. It’s not too tiny that it gets lost in a player’s jersey collar, not so big that it’s cumbersome for a 10-year-old to carry around all weekend.
But then you have smaller events. Like a peewee flag football tournament for 7-year-olds—you don’t need a 70mm medal hanging around a 40-pound kid’s neck, that’s just going to swing into their face every time they run. We make a ton of 50mm and 55mm medals for that exact demographic. They’re light, fit perfectly on a little league ribbon, and look way more proportional than a oversized medal would. Then there are corporate events, weekend pickup tournaments, and even fun runs that give out football medals as swag—those often go even smaller, like 45mm or 40mm, because they’re cheap to produce and get handed out like candy at the end of the day.
Another big factor: custom design. If you want to engrave a team name, a player’s number, a tournament date, or even a custom logo on the front or back of the medal, you need enough space. A 40mm medal only has so much room to cram in text, so if you’re ordering a custom medal with a bunch of details, you’re probably going to want to go at least 60mm or 65mm. I once had a customer order 80mm medals for a college alumni game because he wanted to engrave the full name of every player on the winning team on the back—smaller medals just wouldn’t have fit all the names without squishing the text so bad you couldn’t read it.
Wait, let’s talk about a common myth I hear all the time: people think the diameter is linked to the medal’s “rank”—like gold is 70mm, silver is 65mm, bronze 60mm. Nope, that’s a total myth. We make every size in gold, silver, bronze, even enamel varieties, and the size difference doesn’t mean the metal is heavier or the rank is different. A 50mm gold medal is just as much a “winner” prize as a 70mm one, it’s just a smaller size for a different event.
Now, let’s get into the practical stuff, because that’s what people actually care about when they’re ordering. How do you pick the right diameter for your football medals? First, think about who’s getting them. For youth teams (8 and under), stick to 45-55mm—too big and they’ll complain about the weight. For youth teams 9-14, 55-65mm is perfect, it’s a good middle ground. For high school, college, adult amateur tournaments, go for 65-75mm, and if you’re doing pro-level events or want medals that look flashy for photos, 70mm is your go-to (and coincidentally, the official size for most top pro leagues).
Second, think about what you’re putting on the medal. If it’s a simple design with a team logo and “Champions 2024,” almost any size works. If you’re adding custom text, multiple logos, or even a 3D design (like a football, a trophy, or a mascot), go bigger. 70mm gives you tons of space to work with, so you don’t have to compromise on design just to fit it on a small medal.
Third, budget. Bigger medals cost more, plain and simple—more metal, more material, more production time. A 50mm medal can be half the cost of a 70mm one, so if you’re on a tight budget for a local rec league, smaller is totally fine and no one will think it’s less of a prize. I’ve had customers order 50mm medals for a 16-team rec league and still had kids brag about theirs for weeks after the season ended.
Let’s also talk about mistakes people make when ordering. A few months back, a customer from Texas ordered 70mm medals for his 7-year-old’s all-star team. When they arrived, the parents were texting me like “these are too big, the kids can’t wear them!” I didn’t even have to ask—70mm is way too big for a 7-year-old, their necks are tiny, and the medal would slip off their collars or swing into their faces when they ran. We ended up offering to swap them for smaller ones for a small fee, no questions asked. That’s why I always remind customers to think about the age of the recipients before locking in size—way better to ask than to end up with a pile of medals no one can use.
Another mistake: not checking the ribbon size. Ribbons for medals are usually sized to fit standard diameters, but some ribbons are designed for bigger medals. A 70mm medal needs a ribbon that’s at least 3 inches wide to look proportional, while a 50mm medal works fine on a 2.5 inch ribbon. If you order a tiny ribbon for a huge medal, it’ll look lopsided, and vice versa. I always include a size guide with every quote I send, so customers can match the right ribbon to the right diameter, and that cuts down on so many mistakes.
Wait, going back to the original question: do football medals have a specific diameter? The short answer is no, not a universal one—unless you’re talking about FIFA, UEFA, or Olympic medals, which have their own official sizes. For everyone else, it’s whatever works for your event, your budget, and the people receiving the medals. That’s the beauty of custom football medals, right? You can tailor them to exactly what you need, instead of forcing everyone to fit a one-size-fits-all standard.
I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and I’ve seen every size imaginable. I once made a custom 100mm medal for a fantasy football league commissioner’s prize—he wanted it to be so big he could hang it on his wall, not just wear it. And I’ve made 38mm medals for little local fun runs that just gave them out as keepsakes. None of these broke the rules, none were wrong, they were just right for the event they were made for.
If you’re in the market for football medals, whether it’s for a tiny backyard tournament or a big regional championship, the last thing you want to do is guess at size. Most people overcomplicate it—just ask yourself three questions: Who is this for? What do I want to put on it? How much do I want to spend? That’ll tell you exactly what diameter you need.
At [Football Medals Supplier], we do all sizes, no questions asked. We’ve got 40mm tiny ones for swag, 70mm official-style ones for big tournaments, and everything in between. If you’re not sure what size works best for your event, just reach out—we’ll walk you through it, no hard sells, no jargon, just straight answers. We’ve helped hundreds of teams and leagues get the right medals, and we’ll help you too.
If you’re ready to get a quote, or just have questions about sizes, designs, or anything else related to football medals, get in touch. We’re here to make your event’s awards look great, without all the hassle.
Martial Arts Medals References:
- FIFA Official Tournament Equipment Regulations, 2023.
- UEFA Champions League Medal Specifications, 2022.
- National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Award Guidelines, 2021.
- Custom Medal Manufacturing Industry Standard Dimensions, 2023.
Global Art Gifts Co., Ltd.
Global Art Gifts Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional football medals manufacturers and suppliers in China. We are committed to providing high quality customized products with competitive price. Welcome to buy bulk durable football medals in stock here from our factory. Also, pricelist is available.
Address: Hushan Tech Park, Shiwan, 516127 Huizhou China
E-mail: nicole@globalartgifts.com
WebSite: https://www.globalartgift.com/
