African women’s football giant Nigeria will welcome the original FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy as the train makes its way to the Federal Capital, Abuja on Sunday.

The trophy has departed from FIFA’s headquarters and travelled to several nations. On Saturday evening, it will arrive in Nigeria, one of only seven nations to have competed in every competition.

All 32 nations participating in this year’s finals will receive the Trophy, with Nigeria serving as the ninth destination on the tour that will change the course of history.

The only nations to have participated in every edition of the women’s premier competition since FIFA began hosting it 32 years ago are Nigeria, the United States, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and Sweden.

The ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, which Australia and New Zealand will co-host from July 20 to August 20, will feature all seven nations again.

With 32 teams participating, the one-month championship in Australia will be the biggest in the competition’s history. The same number of teams competed in the men’s World Cup in Qatar late last year.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup began in China in 1991 with 12 teams and continued with that number until the 1995 final in Sweden.

In the United States in 1999 and 2003, China in 2007 and Germany in 2011, the tournament expanded to 16 nations. In Canada, the tournament expanded to 24 teams in 2015, and it stayed that way for the final event in France in 2019.

Only four countries have won the glittering trophy: USA, Germany, Norway and Japan. USA has been victorious on four occasions, and Germany has lifted it twice. Japan and Norway were champions once each

Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia will fly the African flag in Australia and New Zealand. Nine-time African champions Nigeria have already been assigned to Group B, including co-hosts Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and Canada.

The Super Falcons will take on Canada in their opening FIFA Women’s World Cup match on Friday, July 21, 2023, at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Beginning at noon on Sunday, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy will be on display at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, with a photo opportunity scheduled for several invited guests.

The FIFA team will politely visit Chief Sunday Dare, the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, in his office at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium prior to the performance.