Football

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy arrived in Việt Nam on March 3 and will leave on March 6. Photos of VFF

HÀ NỘI — The prestigious 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup trophy has arrived in Hà Nội, marking its fourth stop on a global tour in anticipation of the highly anticipated competition set to take place this July.

The tour serves as a crucial prelude to the international sporting event, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The trophy weighs 4.6kg and stands 47cm tall. It is made from gold-plated brass with a base made from candeias granite for around $30,000.

It was designed by William Sawaya of the Milan firm Sawaya and Moroni in 1998 and was first awarded at the third World Cup in the USA in 1999.

It arrived in Hà Nội on March 3 and is displayed at a welcoming ceremony at the Việt Nam Youth Football Centre on March 4.

The event marked a historic milestone when the Vietnamese women's football team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time.

The World Cup trophy unveiled on March 4 at a ceremony in Hà Nội.

Leaders and officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Việt Nam Sports Administration, and the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) attended the ceremony.

Ambassadors from Australia, New Zealand, the World Cup hosts, and the Netherlands, who have a team in the same group as Việt Nam, were also invited to the event.

Coach Mai Đức Chung and many of his players, former national team members, and 30 junior players who are currently training at the VFF campus also joined the event.

The organisers held some football challenges, such as shooting through holes, freestyle football shows, and football skills performances, among many others.

"We are very proud that the Vietnamese women's football squad made it to the FIFA Women's World Cup finals 2023," said Dương Nghiệp Khôi, the general secretary of the VFF. "We are also honoured that Việt Nam is a destination of the trophy's world tour."

"The trophy procession event today is a recognition of the achievements of the Vietnamese team and affirms the position of the country's sports in the international arena," he said.

Speaking at the event, Sarah Gandoin, FIFA's Trophy Tour project leader, said: "I am honoured to celebrate the official stop of the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour here in Việt Nam.

"This tour is going beyond anything that has been done before, inspiring women and girls by shining a spotlight on the skills, stories, and creativity of the women's game that will be showcased in Australia and New Zealand.

"This is the biggest ever FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour, and that is because we are looking forward to the biggest-ever FIFA Women's World Cup. With Việt Nam's top female footballers gearing up to take on the best in the world, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans to come along and enjoy an unforgettable experience."

Coach Mai Đức Chung, his assistants and players with the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup trophy tour at the Việt Nam Youth Football Centre on March 4 in Hà Nội.

The tour began in Japan on February 25, going to South Korea and the Philippines before Việt Nam. It will leave for China on March 9-11.

In all, the trophy will travel to all 32 countries competing at the World Cup before touring the nine Women’s World Cup host cities in the final weeks before the start of the tournament on July 20.

The tour is expected to bring unique experiences for coaches, players and supporters. Young women players will be given a skill training session by FIFA experts and football legends and get inspired by their stories about teams, players and hopes for the World Cup.

This is to celebrate their abilities to go beyond expectations, becoming inspirations for other women and girls, especially the young women's teams in the U15-U19 age groups, to follow suit and pursue the World Cup dream of Vietnamese football.

Following the draw last October, Việt Nam, a first-time World Cup participant, will be in Group E with defending champions USA, last time's runners-up the Netherlands and a playoff match winner.

They will play all three group matches in New Zealand.

"For female players and athletes, seeing the real World Cup trophy in such close quarters is a great happiness and big recognition," said defender Chương Thị Kiều.

"It drives me to work harder to contribute to the national team," she said.

As with the men's trophy, underneath is a gold disk listing the winners, but a big difference is that the female champions will keep the real trophy forever. VNS