Be it summer or winter, Melbourne / Naarm has long been known by many as the home of sport in Australia. The city is even home to the nation’s current female and male A-League champions, so there was no better place to kick-off the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour on its global journey before it returns in June ahead of Australia & New Zealand 2023. The spotlight was firmly on Melbourne / Naarm on Saturday with not only the launch of the Trophy Tour, but also the arrival of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Unity Pitch to the city. Melbourne / Naarm is widely renowned for its spirited urban culture, with none more colourful than its street art along the bustling laneways of the CBD. And it was there that the Trophy Tour launched to the backdrop of a mural artwork created by New Zealand and Melbourne City forward Hannah Wilkinson in collaboration with a local artist.

From there it was a short walk down to the Unity Pitch set up in the heart of the city’s sporting precinct and just across from the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, home to six Women’s World Cup matches in July and August. The Unity Pitch, which kicked-off its tour of all nine Host Cities at the One-Year-To-Go celebration in Sydney last July, is an eye-catching outdoor futsal-sized pitch available for use by local footballers. Opening the pitch was renowned FIFA Freestyler Lia Lewis who displayed some of her truly awe-inspiring skills to all those in attendance, including several teams of mesmerised young footballers. Lewis and the young attendees were able to bond over their passion for football and share some insights on adding flair to their game. Also on hand was FIFA Legend and former USA superstar Kristine Lilly as a skills camp concluded with the unveiling of the Beyond Skills Drills, a campaign that will feature at each local venue during the Trophy Tour. “Things will grow [in Australia and New Zealand] because of what naturally happens after a World Cup comes to a country,” said Lilly, a member of the iconic Stars and Stripes’ team which drew record crowds to the groundbreaking 1999 Women’s World Cup. “It’s different when the World Cup comes to your own country. The atmosphere and the play on the field [in 2023] will be incredible. For the new fans out there, give yourself a chance, come to a game and I think you will be sold on it.”

The biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour is scheduled to make its second stop in Japan next weekend. The trophy’s journey will ultimately include all 32 participating nations and is set to return Down Under in Auckland in early June, visiting all nine Host Cities including a return visit to Melbourne / Naarm. Germany and Brazil are among the headline names that will feature in Melbourne / Naarm come July, but the highlight will surely be the Group B concluder as co-hosts Australia tackle Olympic gold medallists Canada. Friday 3 March will see the Second Sales Phase of tickets conclude, with the Last-Minute Sales Phase commencing on Tuesday 11 April – 100 days prior to the opening matchday. In the meantime, additional single match passes for Australia’s showpiece opening Group B match against Republic of Ireland will go on sale on Friday 24 February 2023 at FIFA.com/Tickets. Sales will commence at midday AEDT. For further ticketing information and updates on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, please visit FIFA.com/tickets regularly.