Football and the First World War – new exhibition in Kansas City

The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City opens a new exhibition on 2 April exploring the connections between football and the First World War.

The Beautiful Game charts the rise of football before 1914 and what happened to the sport when war was declared. Across the belligerent nations, the game was used as a recruiting tool, drawing volunteers from football clubs and their supporters. Once in uniform, soldiers turned to it for fitness, morale and escape from the realities of the front line. Matches were organised behind the lines, in training camps and even in prisoner of war camps.

Objects on display include the London Irish Rifles’ ‘Loos football’, kicked ahead of an attack on 25 September 1915, period leather cleats, a British trench football board game and the original Charles-Simon Trophy from the first Coupe de France in 1917.

The exhibition is timed to coincide with Kansas City hosting matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so visitors attending soccer fixtures this summer will find a First World War story waiting for them across the city. A digital summit accompanying the exhibition is planned for June.

The exhibition is included with general admission. For visiting information, see the Museum and Memorial website.