Museum collection

Minutes from the meeting of The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) when FIFA joined in 1913 | ©FIFA Museum

The FIFA Museum collects, exhibits and preserves significant artefacts, documents and photographs of international association football and its governing body. We aim to connect and inspire people with relics from football’s heritage, showcasing how the sport has grown from humble beginnings to become a global culture.

The permanent exhibition shows more than 1,000 exhibits from our evolving collection including memorabilia, texts, and pictures from the FIFA archives.

FIFA World Cup tournaments

Take a tour through every World Cup since the inaugural tournament held in Uruguay in 1930. Our permanent exhibition has individual showcases filled with items from every edition, all located next to the World Cup Trophy.

These are the notes taken by German referee, Rudolf Kreitlein, during the bad-tempered 1966 World Cup quarter-final match between England and Argentina at Wembley. Kreitlein sent off the Argentina captain Antonio Rattín in the 35th minute. Refusing to leave, the player pleaded his innocence and – as the referee notes reveal – asked for an interpreter. However, the notes also make it clear that the Argentine had already been given a firm final warning. Eventually, he reluctantly left the pitch.

The game, and this incident, played a direct role in the introduction of yellow and red cards. After the quarter-final, English referee Ken Aston, who had been involved in persuading Rattín to leave the pitch, was in a car when he was stopped by traffic lights. The amber and red lights inspired him and, at the next World Cup in 1970, cards were used for the first time.

World Cup 1966: Referee’s notepad used in the England - Argentina quarter-final. | ©FIFA Museum

Worldwide encounters

Football inspires people from all backgrounds, all over the world. The museum pays tribute this unique ability by offering guests the chance to encounter remarkable individuals, and to discover their personal football story.

In some parts of the world, Juju witchdoctors have been known to try and influence football matches with a bocio – a type of blocked-up whistle that is designed to make refereeing decisions go their team’s way. The whistle also has locks and chains in a bid to keep opponents at bay. At this time, it is unknown whether a bocio has ever actually influenced results – but there’s no proof that they haven’t either.

Bocio from Hounkpatin the Elder, Voodoo figure Benin, 1950s | ©FIFA Museum

Historical documents

The museum manages the FIFA Documentation Centre and, as a result, holds thousands of historical texts, official documents, letters and books related to the game and its development since the early 20^th century.

Formed in 1886 by the four British associations, The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) was expanded to include FIFA in 1913. Today, its main duty is to discuss and rule on proposed alterations to the Laws of the Game.

Official jersey of the Bhutan national team, 2015 | ©FIFA Museum

FIFA member associations

Which South American football association was the first to join FIFA? How does your country’s performance at the World Cup rank against others around the globe? What does the official national team jersey of Bhutan, Montserrat or Eritrea look like? You can find the answer to all these questions at the FIFA Museum.

The museum commemorates all 211 FIFA member associations, from the multiple World Cup winners to those yet to even qualify, with a unique rainbow of jerseys.

Picture archives

As well as exhibits and artefacts, the museum also collects images related to FIFA tournaments, football events and the individuals who made, and continue to make, the game what it is. The varied collection of images stems back to the late 1800s, demonstrating how football has changed and developed over the years. Whether it is previously unseen shots of the 1934 World Cup in Italy, images of World Cup runners-up Czechoslovakia returning home to a hero's welcome or obscure photographs of Ethiopian stadiums in the 1960s, the museum's collection deals in the unique memories so often attached to historic pictures.