First look inside Wales’ new football museum ahead of opening

Wales is lining up for a summer of footballing history, as its new national football museum offered a first glimpse at its galleries and exhibits this week.

The Football Museum of Wales, which is due to open to the public in summer 2026, represents a landmark cultural investment.

The new museum sits just half a mile from the Cae Ras, home of Wrexham AFC, and the Wynnstay Arms Hotel where the Football Association of Wales was founded in 1876.

Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, was given an exclusive look at the gallery spaces, interactive exhibits, films and well-being garden as the project team finalise the displays. He also helped install some of the first objects into display cases.

When it opens, the museum will feature stories and artefacts depicting Welsh footballing history, including:

• Great Wales Goals – an interactive where people can watch and vote for their favourite goal
• The Timeline – a case full of objects from 1876 to the present day, telling the story of the national teams

On Saturday (14 March) the Minister was able to see the original Wales v Scotland team sheet from 1876 (Wales’ first international game), and the cap and shirt of footballer Wyn Davies, who won 34 caps for Wales and passed away last year, being put into cases ready for the opening.

The Welsh Government has awarded grants totalling almost £6 million towards the football museum since June 2023, with total investment in the wider project exceeding £6.78 million.

Speaking during the sneak peek visit the Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant, said: “The Football Museum of Wales has been a major cultural commitment of this Welsh Government and I am thrilled – especially as a lifelong football fan myself – to be able to visit and see what an asset this will be, not only for Wrexham, but for Wales as a nation.

“We recognise the key role museums play within communities and culture across Wales. Their contribution in terms of health and wellbeing, economic impact as visitor attractions, and as resources for schools and lifelong learning should not be underestimated.”

The museum will celebrate the Welsh football from grassroots clubs to the international stage.

Collections were developed in consultation with the FAW and communities across Wales to represent women’s football, the Welsh language, LGBTQ+ communities, and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic experiences of the game.

The Minister continued: “It’s been great to see the films and content of the galleries and to hear how much communities across Wales have been involved in the creation of the museum, with real care taken to ensure the collections and displays genuinely reflect the breadth of Welsh football’s cultures and histories.”

The wider project will also redevelop the adjoining Wrexham Museum’s local history galleries, bringing previously under-used areas of the building into public use and transforming the visitor experience for the city and its visitors.

Paul Roberts, Lead Member for Partnerships and Community Safety WCBC “We are thrilled to welcome our first visitors to the museum and to reveal the brand today. It’s been a pleasure to open the doors to the football galleries and show our appreciation for the funding support from Welsh Government.”

The project has also been supported by the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Wolfson* Foundation, the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, the V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Wrexham County Borough Council.