The Women’s World Cup Trophy: A Symbol of Soccer Greatness
While we’ve been focusing so intently on which teams will be competing, how they will match up, and what outcomes we can expect to see from the 2023 Women’s World Cup, we can not forget what the real object of affection is for the 32 countries coming together in Australia and New Zealand.
What lies at the end of the rainbow for the decided champion? The sought-after FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy.
The Original Women’s World Cup Trophy
The original trophy has a history all its own, originally designed by William Sawaya and crafted by Milanese specialists Sawaya & Moroni for the 1999 tournament. The gold-plated trophy weighs just over ten pounds and, as FIFA perfectly highlights, captures the “athleticism, dynamism, and elegance of international women’s football” in its swirling design.
Ahead of the 2015 World Cup, the original trophy saw an upgrade with a cone-shaped base added to reinforce the design.
For context, there are two trophies presented to the winning team, the original trophy, crafted in 1998, and the Winner’s Trophy, which is for the champions to keep.
During the 2015 Women’s World Cup and for the first time in history, the original trophy was presented to the winning team on the field before being given the Winner’s Trophy. This 2015 WWC winning team, as we all know, was the USWNT.
Each trophy bears its own sense of importance and celebration. The original trophy is not only an example of how far the sport has come but allows the winning nation the chance to affirm its place in history as one of women’s soccer’s greats with their names engraved on the bottom of the trophy.
The Winner’s Trophy is just that, an affirmation that the team’s blood, sweat, tears, and hard work has paid off–labeling them World Cup champions forever. This also allows for bragging rights until the next World Cup rolls around.
The Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour
Just as the teams who will compete in Australia and New Zealand are preparing for the big dance, the original trophy has its own schedule to attend to before returning for the opening match of the tournament.
The global FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour began in February 2023 and will see the Trophy travel to all 32 participating countries across six continents, the largest Trophy Tour to date. It is giving fans around the world a glimpse at the grand prize. The Tour kicked off in Tokyo, Japan, on February 25 before making its way around the globe until June.
Then, it will end up back in the host countries of Australia and New Zealand for a host city tour. Ultimately, the trophy will land in Wellington, New Zealand, just over a week before the Women’s World Cup kickoff.
Along with building excitement for the tournament’s kickoff, fans from around the globe can follow along and participate on social media. Female Football Freestyle World Champion Lia Lewis, in collaboration with FIFA, is leading a football skills social media challenge across TikTok and Instagram called Skills Drills!
In addition, other special guests visited on different parts of the tour to participate in the Tour’s campaign: Going Beyond. The campaign’s purpose is to foster and highlight future female football talent of all levels and backgrounds.
So, all that’s left to figure out is, who will be the 2023 team to lift this world-traveling piece of women’s soccer history?
Featured image via Getty Images
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