Football World Cup through the ages

While we wait the winner to be decided in the tournament held in Canada, the US, and Mexico, Vapriikki’s exhibition takes us back to the memorable moments of previous tournaments. On display are the stars, events, and stories from the history of the women’s and men’s World Cups. Photos, videos, trophies, jerseys, and other memorabilia remind us of the heroes and anti-heroes of the tournaments, while classic games, controversies, and hot topics are revisited.

On a deeper level, the exhibition recounts how the World Cup came into being, and explains the phenomena and world events each tournament has reflected. Through the history of Football World Cup, visitors can learn more about the development of football as a sport and the tournament as a global event. And even though Finnish national teams have not yet qualified for the World Cup in adult football, the exhibition also includes an overview of the history of Finnish national team football and World Cup qualifiers.

The exhibition is an international collaboration. Most of the items on display are on loan from the FIFA Museum in Zurich and the International Football Museum in Rome. The exhibition features a diverse collection of items related to the history of the tournament. Among other things, visitors will be able to see the jerseys of Diego Maradona and Gordon Banks, Tinja-Riikka Korpela’s 2025 kit from the national team, and the 2002 Ballon d’Or award presented to Ronaldo by France Football magazine. Items related to Finnish football have been loaned by the Tahto Sports Museum, the Postal Museum, and private individuals.