FIFA allowing the Women’s World Cup to honor indigenous people is a rare W

Photo by Wang Qi/Xinhua via Getty Images

The flags of first people and traditional names will all be features.

When the 2023 Women’s World Cup kicks off later this month you might be a little confused by the numerous flags flying and names given to locations around Australia and New Zealand. It’s a rare moment of clarity from FIFA, and a wonderful move by organizers to ensure the indigenous peoples of the two host countries that owned the land are recognized.

On Thursday FIFA approved the use of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to be flown aside the Australian flag at the 35 matches taking place in Australia, while in New Zealand the Maori “Tino Rangatiratanga” flag will fly at 29 matches.

It’s been part of Australia and New Zealand’s goal to include first nations people as much as possible in the Women’s World Cup, though it was unclear if FIFA would allow them to — being such a strong departure from the normally strict nationalism of football’s governing body. A statement from FIFA president Gianni Infantino supported the move:

“These significant flags express a spirit of mutual respect, national identity, and recognition of Indigenous cultures for our hosts.”

In addition to the flags, each stadium will also go by its original name prior to British colonization. Here is the list of the 10 stadiums that will be used for the tournament.

Aukland / Tāmaki Makaurau
Sydney (Sydney Football Stadium) / Gadigal
Dunedin / Ōtepoti
Melbourne / Naarm
Wellington / Te Whanganui-a-Tara
Hamilton / Kirikiriroa
Brisbane / Meaanjin
Perth / Boorloo
Adelaide / Tarntanya
Sydney (Stadium Australia) / Wangal

The Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20.