I don't know much about football, so when I heard that I was going to visit FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich for work, it felt like I didn't deserve this experience. If only I was a huge football fan, I said to myself.
The closest experience I have to football is seeing my Dad wake up at 3AM to catch a match during the FIFA World Cup season. His favourite team changes every four years. Sometimes, it's England and Spain. Other times, it's Brazil and Germany. Whatever it is, it blew my mind to see a football fan being absolutely passionate about this beautiful game.
When I arrived in Zurich, I decided to appreciate my visit to FIFA World Football Museum the same way my father would and hopefully, get to know his love for football better.
It was near lunchtime when I reached the museum. Just across the street from Bahnhof Zurich Enge (Zurich Enge station), it was super easy to get here. Since I have a Swiss Travel Pass, I got free admission to the museum. I just showed my card at the ticketing desk and off I went. Without it, the entrance fee is CHF24 (RM105) for adults. Oh, the museum opens every day except Monday from 10AM till 6PM.
Visitors are not allowed to bring their bags in, so I got myself a locker, which happened to be my first taste of the museum experience. Each locker is named after a famous footballer. Again, I don't know much about football and searched high and low for the only name I know: David Beckham! It took quite a while to find it, but go towards the end of the room and look for the white locker. You'll find 'him' on your right.
Minutes later, I explored the ground floor, named Planet Football, for a bit of history lesson on football. But I got bored of reading and went straight to The Rainbow!
The museum actually lined up all 211 national team's jerseys from around the world. I really liked how they arranged these jerseys like a rainbow, and I spotted Malaysia in yellow! I was so excited that I only took IG stories and no photos of it haha! I was very proud to see my home country in there.
The flow is arranged differently in the museum, and I immediately found myself from the ground floor to the second floor where The Foundations & The FIFA World Cup Gallery is.
There are more readings to do around here, but I was more attracted to the displays. I was drawn to this exhibit that shows how much the footballer's shoes and football evolved from 1900 to 2014. You can hold and feel it too! But of course, you can't put on those shoes haha.
The fun part starts here! This was my first time seeing a replica of the Jules Rimet World Cup, which is the first FIFA trophy. The real trophy was permanently given to Brazil in 1970, but it got stolen in 1980s and was never recovered. So this replica is all the world has right now.
After that, it got replaced by this FIFA World Cup trophy during the 1974 World Cup (when Germany won). I feel like pinching myself when I saw this. I mean, it's the actual trophy! It's permanently exhibited in this museum, but also leaves the museum for FIFA tours. The next FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar in 2022, so be sure you come and see it before 2022!
I also found out that the country that wins a FIFA tournament doesn't get to keep the actual trophy. They were given a bronze, gold-plated replica instead. And the real trophy will return to this museum.
It was also surreal to see the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy too. It was designed for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and made from 23 karat yellow and white gold. Slightly different from the men's trophy, the women's trophy is recreated each time for the winning country, which means there are no replicas! The most successful women's football team is from the United States, and they've won 4 titles out of 8 tourmanents. How cool!
From the second floor, I made my way to the first floor for Fields of Play. It feels like stepping into a football arcade and everyone (including adults) lined up to play. It's also the most popular floor, so patience is key!
I didn't line up for any game because I didn't want to embarrass myself but it was fun to watch the kids having a go(al) at it. Oh, you don't have to pay anything because it's free!
At the end of the day, I really enjoyed my visit here! I spent less than 2 hours and left this museum with great appreciation for the sport. Although I would much rather sleep in than waking up at 3AM to catch a FIFA World Cup match, now I see why my Dad is really into football. It's the sport that brings everyone together, football fans and non-football fans, and it did bring me closer to understanding why my Dad loves it too.
The closest experience I have to football is seeing my Dad wake up at 3AM to catch a match during the FIFA World Cup season. His favourite team changes every four years. Sometimes, it's England and Spain. Other times, it's Brazil and Germany. Whatever it is, it blew my mind to see a football fan being absolutely passionate about this beautiful game.
When I arrived in Zurich, I decided to appreciate my visit to FIFA World Football Museum the same way my father would and hopefully, get to know his love for football better.
It was near lunchtime when I reached the museum. Just across the street from Bahnhof Zurich Enge (Zurich Enge station), it was super easy to get here. Since I have a Swiss Travel Pass, I got free admission to the museum. I just showed my card at the ticketing desk and off I went. Without it, the entrance fee is CHF24 (RM105) for adults. Oh, the museum opens every day except Monday from 10AM till 6PM.
Visitors are not allowed to bring their bags in, so I got myself a locker, which happened to be my first taste of the museum experience. Each locker is named after a famous footballer. Again, I don't know much about football and searched high and low for the only name I know: David Beckham! It took quite a while to find it, but go towards the end of the room and look for the white locker. You'll find 'him' on your right.
Minutes later, I explored the ground floor, named Planet Football, for a bit of history lesson on football. But I got bored of reading and went straight to The Rainbow!
The museum actually lined up all 211 national team's jerseys from around the world. I really liked how they arranged these jerseys like a rainbow, and I spotted Malaysia in yellow! I was so excited that I only took IG stories and no photos of it haha! I was very proud to see my home country in there.
The flow is arranged differently in the museum, and I immediately found myself from the ground floor to the second floor where The Foundations & The FIFA World Cup Gallery is.
There are more readings to do around here, but I was more attracted to the displays. I was drawn to this exhibit that shows how much the footballer's shoes and football evolved from 1900 to 2014. You can hold and feel it too! But of course, you can't put on those shoes haha.
The fun part starts here! This was my first time seeing a replica of the Jules Rimet World Cup, which is the first FIFA trophy. The real trophy was permanently given to Brazil in 1970, but it got stolen in 1980s and was never recovered. So this replica is all the world has right now.
After that, it got replaced by this FIFA World Cup trophy during the 1974 World Cup (when Germany won). I feel like pinching myself when I saw this. I mean, it's the actual trophy! It's permanently exhibited in this museum, but also leaves the museum for FIFA tours. The next FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar in 2022, so be sure you come and see it before 2022!
I also found out that the country that wins a FIFA tournament doesn't get to keep the actual trophy. They were given a bronze, gold-plated replica instead. And the real trophy will return to this museum.
It was also surreal to see the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy too. It was designed for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and made from 23 karat yellow and white gold. Slightly different from the men's trophy, the women's trophy is recreated each time for the winning country, which means there are no replicas! The most successful women's football team is from the United States, and they've won 4 titles out of 8 tourmanents. How cool!
From the second floor, I made my way to the first floor for Fields of Play. It feels like stepping into a football arcade and everyone (including adults) lined up to play. It's also the most popular floor, so patience is key!
I didn't line up for any game because I didn't want to embarrass myself but it was fun to watch the kids having a go(al) at it. Oh, you don't have to pay anything because it's free!
At the end of the day, I really enjoyed my visit here! I spent less than 2 hours and left this museum with great appreciation for the sport. Although I would much rather sleep in than waking up at 3AM to catch a FIFA World Cup match, now I see why my Dad is really into football. It's the sport that brings everyone together, football fans and non-football fans, and it did bring me closer to understanding why my Dad loves it too.
