19 November 2022 - 18 December 2022 | Doha, Qatar

FIFA Museum presented by Hyundai: “Goals Create History”

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the 22nd since the inaugural tournament kicked-off in Uruguay in 1930 - and is the latest chapter of a story that has been creating history for over 90 years.

The FIFA Museum and Hyundai have teamed up to showcase this unique sporting spectacle. This exhibition celebrates the FIFA World Cup through the passion and devotion of the fans today and tells its history through the players who have left an indelible mark on it in the past, with goals being the highest currency that shape the future.

Meet the centrepieces of the exhibition

The Jules Rimet Cup

For 40 years, the captain of the World Cup winners was presented with a beautiful golden statuette which stood on a base of lapis lazuli stone. Commissioned by Jules Rimet, then President of FIFA, before the first World Cup in 1930, it was made by French sculptor Abel Lafleur. Originally known as the Coupe du Monde de Football Association, its name was changed in 1946 in honour of the FIFA President Jules Rimet.

The trophy was awarded to the winning captains of the first nine World Cups. But the World Cup regulations stated that any team winning it three times would get to keep the trophy for good, so Brazil took possession of it in 1970 after their third triumph. It was put on display at the headquarters of the Brazilian federation in Rio de Janeiro but thirteen years later it was stolen and has not been seen since.

Everyone believed that all trace of the Jules Rimet Cup was lost for ever. But in 2014, a deep search of the FIFA archives led to a glorious discovery: the Abel Lafleur base was lying hidden and undocumented on a shelf.

Lafleur’s base now supports a replica of the Jules Rimet Cup. The exact origins of this replica are unknown, but it may have been commissioned by FIFA from a mould of the original trophy sometime between 1954 and 1974. It is made from sterling silver, with gold plating, the only known replica using these precious metals. It is believed that the original World Cup was made from silver and not gold – and this was almost certainly the inspiration for this replica.

To learn more about the fantastic story of the original base, click here.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy

The FIFA World Cup Trophy is the ultimate prize in football. Every four years, it is handed over to the captain of the winning team at the FIFA World Cup Final to celebrate the team’s victory. After the celebration, the trophy is returned to FIFA’s possession, and since 2016 it has been given pride of place in its showcase at the FIFA Museum.

The nation that wins the FIFA World Cup receives an exact replica of the Trophy to keep. It is called the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy and is an exact reproduction of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, except that it has a plaque with the year and the name of the host country of the tournament. The trophy given to the winner is also made of brass and then gold-plated.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Winner’s Trophy will be on display at the special exhibition on selected dates.

32 Shirts playing for one Prize

The road to the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar™ kicked off on 6 June 2019, where 206 of 211 football federations started their qualification campaign. It took 865 games and 2,424 goals until the last of the 32 participants sealed their place in the tournament finals on 16 June 2022.

The only debutant at this year’s tournament are the hosts Qatar. All the other teams have already played at least one finals tournament. Wales have had to wait the longest with 64 years between their first qualification at the 1958 tournament. Brazil are the only team to have taken part in every FIFA World Cup since 1930 and are celebrating their 22nd participation.

32 shirts. 32 football cultures. All playing for the ultimate prize.

World Cup History: Football conquers the world

The origins of the FIFA World Cup can be traced back to a letter written in 1902 by the Dutchman and future FIFA general-secretary CAW Hirschman. It proposed the creation of an international federation as well as an international championship. Two years later FIFA was founded. On 26 May 1928, the FIFA Congress then created a brand-new tournament. The World Cup.

First held in Uruguay in 1930 with 13 teams taking part, it has grown into the biggest single-sport competition in the world. For the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 206 member associations of FIFA entered - with 32 now taking part in the finals.

This special exhibition features one showcase for each of the 21 FIFA World Cups that have already been played before the 2022 edition. The showcases highlight the unique history of every tournament with a carefully selected range of objects – from historic shirts to the whistle of a refereeing legend and the accreditation of Zinédine Zidane.