FIFA Women’s World Cup™ legends come out to welcome our new showcases

Visitors have been admiring the expanded and revamped FIFA Women’s World Cup™ section of our FIFA World Cup™ Gallery since July this year, but Brazilian legend Formiga and world champions Ann Kristin Aarønes and Ariane Hingst officially inaugurated the new showcases in style last Thursday night at an exclusive event.

The action kicked off with an absorbing live panel discussion with FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman, during which the special guests reminisced on their careers and the rich history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as well as looking ahead to the competition’s exciting future.

What’s more, all three former players brought personal items to add to the FIFA Museum collection, which they presented to our Managing Director, Marco Fazzone. Brazilian icon Formiga, the only player (male or female) to feature at seven senior World Cup tournaments, offered up her shirt from her 234th and final international appearance. Aarønes parted with one of her jerseys from the 1999 Women’s World Cup, while Hingst handed over a pair of her boots from the 2007 edition of the competition.

The magic did not stop there. Germany’s Hingst was reunited with the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy, which she previously captured at back-to-back editions in 2003 and 2007. Aarønes, for her part, once more got her hands on the current trophy’s glittering predecessor, used in 1995 – when the forward lifted it after firing Norway to the title as top scorer – and at the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991. Both also added a golden pin to the museum’s Wall of Champions.

After the ceremonials, the special guests – who also included ex-Switzerland internationals Lara Dickenmann and Prisca Steinegger  – relished checking out the new showcases, which are framed by a brand-new set of illustrations created by international artists. They also posed for pictures and chatted with other guests, such as several budding young female footballers who were thrilled to get up close and personal with some of their role models.

It was a spellbinding evening all round and a fitting celebration of the Women’s World Cup, the forward steps taken in the female game and the role played in this remarkable success story by the guests of honour. As Hingst put it, “Being part of the history of women’s football and part of this exhibition here at the FIFA Museum fills me with pride.” For her part, Dickenmann noted that, “When I look in the showcase now and see my jersey there, and that I’m mentioned with many big names in women’s football, I am overjoyed and grateful.” But we’ll leave the last word to Formiga: “It's a great honour and recognition for all of us and shows that women’s football has really come a long way. The history of our sport is showcased here in an impressive way.”

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