FIFA’s relationship to indigeneity in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and beyond: coloniality or commitment?

The 2023 Women's World Cup (hereafter 2023WWC) was notable for its use of Māori and First Nations’ languages, symbols, and practices in the lead-up to and duration of the tournament. Ostensibly playing against type for an organization with a long track record of ignoring Indigenous communities, FIFA went to great lengths to showcase and celebrate Māori and First Nations’ culture throughout all aspects of the tournament. The embrace of Indigenous elements from both sides of the Tasman Sea, however, belied the contentious state of affairs for Indigenous peoples in Australia and Aotearoa. This chapter therefore critically interrogates FIFA's use of Indigenous culture and practices at the 2023 Women's World Cup, asking whether the tournament is indicative of a new organizational commitment to greater equality and inclusion or, as Indigenous Football Australia put it, simply “empty symbolism.”