Coral Gables Museum Presents Exhibition Exploring Soccer and Diplomacy Across Continents
The World’s Oldest Football (1540–1570), on view in the Americas for the first time. Courtesy of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling, Scotland.
Brazil vs Haiti Match 2004
Pelé during his early years with Santos FC, one of the clubs that helped shape his enduring legacy in world football. Courtesy of Museu Pelé, Santos, Brazil.
Featuring the world’s oldest football, rare international loans, and stories connecting Scotland, Brazil, Haiti, and Miami during the FIFA World Cup 2026
CORAL GABLES, FL, UNITED STATES, June 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Presented during FIFA World Cup 2026, Diplomacy and the Beautiful Game: From Scotland to Brazil to Haiti is on view at Coral Gables Museum through July 19, bringing together rare artifacts, archival photographs, and stories that reveal how a sport has influenced migration, education, identity, and dialogue across five centuries.Organized by Coral Gables Museum in partnership with the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami and the United Kingdom’s Scotland Office, and in collaboration with the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling, Scotland, and Museu Pelé, Santos, Brazil, the exhibition follows the connections between Scotland and Brazil, from Charles Miller’s introduction of the game to Pelé’s enduring legacy, while expanding the conversation to Haiti, Nigeria, and Miami.
Among its highlights is the world’s oldest football, on public view in the Americas for the first time. Dating from 1540–1570 and part of the collection of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, the artifact will be presented at the Museum from June 22–27, offering visitors a rare opportunity to encounter one of the earliest surviving objects associated with the sport.
The exhibition also traces the story of Scottish engineer John Miller and his son Charles Miller, whose family history would leave a lasting imprint on Brazil’s sporting identity. Visitors will encounter the Spirit of Brazil Tartan, commissioned to commemorate 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and the United Kingdom, alongside photographs by Brazilian photojournalist Antônio Gaudério documenting Haiti’s 2004 Peace Match, a moment when sport was intentionally used to encourage national reconciliation.
RELATED PROGRAMMING
PRESS PREVIEW
The World’s Oldest Football in the Americas
Sunday, June 21 | 10:00–11:00 AM
Media partners are invited to a special preview ahead of the artifact’s public presentation in South Florida.
Guests will have the opportunity to view the object up close and hear from exhibition organizers, diplomatic representatives, and collaborators involved in the project. The program will feature Caroline Mathers, Director of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, who will discuss the ball’s preservation and its significance within Scotland’s cultural heritage. Cuban coffee and curated bites will be served.
WATCH AND LEARN PARTY: Brazil vs. Scotland 1974 and 2026
Community Meeting Room | June 24
4:30 PM | BBC documentary Only a Game (1974 / 45 min)
A rediscovered behind-the-scenes production filmed around the world on the day of the Scotland vs. Brazil match during the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany and narrated by Sir Ian Holm.
6:00 PM | Live screening: Brazil vs. Scotland in Miami
EXHIBITION INFORMATION
Diplomacy and the Beautiful Game: From Scotland to Brazil to Haiti
Zahner Center | June 12–July 19, 2026
Special Presentation of the World’s Oldest Football
June 22–27, 2026
Hours: Tuesday–Friday & Sunday, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM | Saturday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM | Special Hours: June 22–26, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM | June 24, 9:00 AM–12:00 AM | June 27, 9:00 AM–9:00 PM
This exhibition is made possible through the generous patronage of the Consulate General of Brazil in Miami and the United Kingdom’s Scotland Office, with additional support from BB Americas Bank, Baptist Health, and Café La Llave.
Maylin Lara Ojeda
Coral Gables Museum
+1 786-835-9980
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