The Champions League trophy is seen during the draw ceremony for the Champions League group stage at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo.
The Champions League trophy is seen during the draw ceremony for the Champions League group stage at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo. Reuters

Heineken has announced that it will take the Champions League trophy for a tour around the world, in preparation for the Champions League final in Munich on May 19.

The trophy has normally only been for show at the place of the final in the lead-up to the showpiece, and in 2011 when it took place in London, the Cup attracted thousands of people and lines hours long as fans waited patiently for their chance to have their photo with the trophy taken.

And as a result of the sky high interest in the Cup, it will now tour South America, Africa and Asia before making its way to Europe and Munich.

Ambassadors Edwin van der Saar and Ruud Gullit are amongst a host of stars who will travel with the trophy, with van der Saar joining the party in Mexico, and Gullit in Kenya and Shanghai.

Heineken have put together a campaign surrounding the trophy in which fans who check into hotels find it sitting in their living room. In most cases, they end up jumping around pretending they've won it, and hidden cameras in the room are present to catch them in the act.

UEFA Events S.A. CEO David Taylor commented that the trophy tour showed just how much the Champions League is touching football fans around the world.

"The UEFA Champions League has a long and distinguished heritage and is the pinnacle of European club football," he said.

"The Trophy Tour really demonstrates the true global reach and appeal of the UEFA Champions League.

"We are delighted that together with Heineken we can reward the passion and dedication of football fans around the world by taking the trophy to them."

Public tour dates:

March 10/11 (Guadalajara, Mexico)

March 17/18 (Mexico City, Mexico)

March 26/27 (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

March 29/31 (Nairobi, Kenya)

April 6/9 (Shanghai, China)

Watch the fans' reactions to finding the Champions League trophy in their hotel rooms below:

The Heineken brand is sold in almost every country in the world. Additional information is available on www.heineken.com /www.heinekeninternational.com

China Mexico Kenya London