The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup - Winner of the Sports Book of the Year Award 2026

Name: The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup - Winner of the Sports Book of the Year Award 2026
Rating: 3.799999952316284 (45 reviews)

Jonathan Wilson

Sep 2025 · Hachette UK

45 reviews

Ebook

608

Pages

Eligible

Switch to the audiobook

About this ebook

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.

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 deta...

Ratings and reviews

45 reviews

Chris Carberry

April 9, 2026

A good read for those that love the World Cup.

وليد بركات

May 23, 2026

وليدبركات

About the author

Jonathan Wilson is the editor of the Blizzard and a freelance writer for the Guardian, World Soccer and Sports Illustrated. He is the author of twelve books, including Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe, Angels with Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina, The Barcelona Legacy, The Names Heard Long Ago and Two Brothers.

Jonathan Wilson is the editor of the Blizzard and a freelance writer for the Guardian, World Soccer and Sports Illustrated. He is the author of twelve books, including Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe, Angels with Dirty Faces: ...

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Flag as inappropriate