Nouvelle arrivée
The Power and the Glory
The Sports Plus take
Every World Cup, from 1930 to Qatar.
Jonathan Wilson, one of soccer's best historians, covers every World Cup from 1930 through 2022: the matches and the goals, but also the politics, bidding scandals and nation-building that have always come with the tournament. It's big and thorough, but Wilson writes with real energy. With the 2026 World Cup still fresh, it's a great time to read how the whole thing started.
Shelf
How it reads
Deep dive
Best for
- Soccer fans
- History readers
- Anyone who caught World Cup fever this summer
About this book
- Author
- Jonathan Wilson
- Publisher
- PublicAffairs
- Published
- October 28, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 576
- ISBN-10
- 1645030407
- ISBN-13
- 978-1645030409
Book description
A definitive new history of the world's most watched sporting event
"Wilson is the game's pre-eminent popular historian."--Observer (UK)
An Irish Times Best Sports Book of the Year
Since 1930, the World Cup has become a truly global obsession. It is the most watched sporting event on the planet, and 211 teams competed to make it into the 2022 tournament. From its inception, it has also been a vehicle for far more than soccer. A tool for self-mythologizing and influence-peddling, The World Cup has played a crucial role in nation-building, and continues to, as countries negotiate their positions in a globalized world.
The Power and the Glory is a comprehensive history of the matches and goals, the tales of scandal and triumph, the haggling and skulduggery of the bidding process, and the political and cultural tides behind every tournament. Jonathan Wilson details not merely what happened but why, based on fresh interviews and meticulous research. The book is as much about the legends of the sport, from Pelé to Messi, as it is about the nations that made them, from Mussolini's Italy to partitioned Germany to controversy-ridden Qatar.
Brimming with politics, heart, and drama, on and off the pitch, The Power and the Glory is the definitive story of the greatest cultural event of our time.
About the author
Jonathan Wilson is a columnist for The Guardian and the cohost of the football history podcast It Was What It Was. He has written thirteen books, including Inverting the Pyramid, and is the founder and editor of The Blizzard. He lives in London.
More from the soccer & lacrosse shelf
