The Power and the Glory

A New History of the World Cup - Winner of the Sports Book of the Year Award 2026
The definitive history of the World Cup, for the first time exploring the tournament's socio-political impact across the globe as well as the goals and scandals that keep us all gripped

WINNER OF THE SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026

'A master at telling football's greatest ever stories. Breathtaking. Wilson's eye for detail and his elegant writing brings the World Cup to life like no other book on the topic I have ever read' ELIS JAMES

'Epic in scope, awesomely rich in detail, and compulsively entertaining' TOM HOLLAND

'So much of what we know of football's history we know thanks to Wilson' SIMON KUPER

The football World Cup is the most watched sporting event on the planet. It has become a global obsession: 211 nations initially entered the 2022 edition. It has been running for almost a century. Yet there has never been a comprehensive history of the World Cup that has considered not only the matches and goals, the players and coaches, the tales of scandal and genius, the haggling and skulduggery of the bidding process, but has also placed the tournaments within a socio-political framework. The story of the World Cup is also the story of the world; this book tells its definitive history.

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