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The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Description:

'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 is no comprehensive history of the tournament: based on fresh interviews and meticulously researched this book will change that.

By 1930, football had outgrown the Olympic Games. A new competition, run by Fifa, would take international football to the next level. After a shambolic start to the first cup in Uruguay - an incomplete stadium, shoddy refereeing and physios accidentally injuring players - the thrilling final saw Uruguay take on Argentina, beating them 4-2.

From those chaotic beginnings grew the modern World Cup, a cultural phenomenon that draws the world together like nothing else, and that gives it a profound importance. Ask a random person on a random street to name a moment in the history of Senegal and they may well say Pape Bouba Diop's winner against France in the 2002 World Cup, a goal not only against the defending champions but against the former colonial masters.

The World Cup has political significance. West Germany's success in 1954 was a moment of reintegration into global society. Progress to the semi-finals in 1998 gave a huge boost to Croatia's sense of national self. But football is an unpredictable sport. In the so-called Soccer War of 1969 tensions between El Salvador and Honduras were ignited by a World Cup qualifier. More recently, the focus for governments seeking to political gain has been hosting the tournament, with the World Cups in Russia and Qatar clear examples of sportswashing, staging a tournament to project an image of a thriving society.

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.

Read more

Review

Meticulously researched and well-organised - an informative account of how the World Cup became the global event it is today ― Jamie Carragher

Essential... rich in political and cultural content -- David Goldblatt ― New Statesman

A history of the World Cup that is also a four yearly temperature check on the history of the entire world. Epic in scope, awesomely rich in detail, and compulsively entertaining ― Tom Holland

Jonathan Wilson is 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

An outstanding book by a truly outstanding writer. Jonathan Wilson understands not only the long history of the game, and the characters who gloriously shaped it, but also the essentials of the game itself. Once you've finished reading The Power and the Glory, you'll want the next World Cup finals to kick off tomorrow ― Duncan Hamilton

Unfailingly lucid and objective, as well as packed with fascinating characters and anecdotes, Jonathan Wilson's The Power and the Glory is the authoritative history we have long needed about football's ultimate tournament ― David Kynaston

Jonathan Wilson is 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

For the biggest show in sport, that has almost everything, this was the book the World Cup long needed. The definitive history, told through the elevation of the tournament's compelling storylines, as well as brilliant new details ― Miguel Delaney

So much of what we know of football's history we know thanks to Wilson, and he tells it so engagingly, with an eye for personality and story as well as the deeper structures. He sees the connections between football and everything else, and is dazzlingly international. The game is lucky to have him ― Simon Kuper

Magisterial... the definitive account of the world's greatest sporting festival -- Michael Taylor ― Literary Review

Book Description

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

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of the World Cup - warts and all!

g. · 15 November 2025

Jonathan Wilson is a really good football writer - i’ve read a number of his books. This is another good edition to his work - I particularly enjoyed how he drew together the political and economic issues surrounding the various tournament hosts.

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and entertaining

C.W. · 24 October 2025

Excellent, detailed and entertaining history of the World Cup, with political background on the countries in which the tournaments were held. Wilson is not afraid to air his contempt for the corruption and mismanagement in FIFA over the years. I would have given it five stars but there are some surprising proofreading errors in the text, endnotes and bibliography. There are also a few factual errors eg Egypt were the first non-European side to compete in the Olympics football tournament in 1920, not 1924; Geza Toldi's memoir was written in Danish, not Swedish; and Alf Ramsey was not sacked until 1 May 1974, not shortly after the loss to Poland on 17 October 1973 (which the text implies without stating specifically). If you are looking for a match-by-match record of the World Cup final tournaments, Cris Freddi's Complete Book of the World Cup - inexplicably missing from Wilson's bibliography - is still the best in my opinion. But if you want a book that covers all the tournaments including 2014, 2018 and 2022 but without all the individual match details, Wilson's book is the best available.

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and entertaining

G.N. · 23 October 2025

Comprehensive, interesting and some stories I wasn't aware of. Top writer and an entertaining read. Highly recommend.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, a must for smart football fans

A.R. · 27 October 2025

Wilson is the best football writer in the UK, and this shows why. Beautifully written, incredbly deep research, packed with the most fascinating stories. Love it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb history of the World Cup

F. · 15 October 2025

Another excellent book by Jonathan Wilson examining each World Cup in turn with a superb level of fascinating detail and insight.As well as the matches at each tournament there is also plenty about FIFA and football politics; amazingly, shady dealings and general chicanery are not modern phenomena in FIFA world!If you enjoy Mr Wilson’s excellent It Was What It Was podcast, you’ll love this book.

An engaging and enjoyable read

J.I. · 25 October 2025

Truly a "New History". Not just a rehash of otherwise familiar material but, rather, a beautifully written, exhaustive overview brimming with fresh insights, original anecdotes and thought-provoking takes on the facts.

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The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Product ID: K0349145709
Condition: New

4.8

(17 ratings)

AED12742

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Type: Hardcover
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

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Imported From: United Kingdom

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

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While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

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Visit the Abacus Store

The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Product ID: K0349145709
Condition: New

4.8

(17 ratings)
The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup-0
Type: Hardcover

AED12742

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United Kingdom

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Description:

'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 is no comprehensive history of the tournament: based on fresh interviews and meticulously researched this book will change that.

By 1930, football had outgrown the Olympic Games. A new competition, run by Fifa, would take international football to the next level. After a shambolic start to the first cup in Uruguay - an incomplete stadium, shoddy refereeing and physios accidentally injuring players - the thrilling final saw Uruguay take on Argentina, beating them 4-2.

From those chaotic beginnings grew the modern World Cup, a cultural phenomenon that draws the world together like nothing else, and that gives it a profound importance. Ask a random person on a random street to name a moment in the history of Senegal and they may well say Pape Bouba Diop's winner against France in the 2002 World Cup, a goal not only against the defending champions but against the former colonial masters.

The World Cup has political significance. West Germany's success in 1954 was a moment of reintegration into global society. Progress to the semi-finals in 1998 gave a huge boost to Croatia's sense of national self. But football is an unpredictable sport. In the so-called Soccer War of 1969 tensions between El Salvador and Honduras were ignited by a World Cup qualifier. More recently, the focus for governments seeking to political gain has been hosting the tournament, with the World Cups in Russia and Qatar clear examples of sportswashing, staging a tournament to project an image of a thriving society.

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.

Read more

Review

Meticulously researched and well-organised - an informative account of how the World Cup became the global event it is today ― Jamie Carragher

Essential... rich in political and cultural content -- David Goldblatt ― New Statesman

A history of the World Cup that is also a four yearly temperature check on the history of the entire world. Epic in scope, awesomely rich in detail, and compulsively entertaining ― Tom Holland

Jonathan Wilson is 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

An outstanding book by a truly outstanding writer. Jonathan Wilson understands not only the long history of the game, and the characters who gloriously shaped it, but also the essentials of the game itself. Once you've finished reading The Power and the Glory, you'll want the next World Cup finals to kick off tomorrow ― Duncan Hamilton

Unfailingly lucid and objective, as well as packed with fascinating characters and anecdotes, Jonathan Wilson's The Power and the Glory is the authoritative history we have long needed about football's ultimate tournament ― David Kynaston

Jonathan Wilson is 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

For the biggest show in sport, that has almost everything, this was the book the World Cup long needed. The definitive history, told through the elevation of the tournament's compelling storylines, as well as brilliant new details ― Miguel Delaney

So much of what we know of football's history we know thanks to Wilson, and he tells it so engagingly, with an eye for personality and story as well as the deeper structures. He sees the connections between football and everything else, and is dazzlingly international. The game is lucky to have him ― Simon Kuper

Magisterial... the definitive account of the world's greatest sporting festival -- Michael Taylor ― Literary Review

Book Description

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

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent history of the World Cup - warts and all!

g. · 15 November 2025

Jonathan Wilson is a really good football writer - i’ve read a number of his books. This is another good edition to his work - I particularly enjoyed how he drew together the political and economic issues surrounding the various tournament hosts.

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and entertaining

C.W. · 24 October 2025

Excellent, detailed and entertaining history of the World Cup, with political background on the countries in which the tournaments were held. Wilson is not afraid to air his contempt for the corruption and mismanagement in FIFA over the years. I would have given it five stars but there are some surprising proofreading errors in the text, endnotes and bibliography. There are also a few factual errors eg Egypt were the first non-European side to compete in the Olympics football tournament in 1920, not 1924; Geza Toldi's memoir was written in Danish, not Swedish; and Alf Ramsey was not sacked until 1 May 1974, not shortly after the loss to Poland on 17 October 1973 (which the text implies without stating specifically). If you are looking for a match-by-match record of the World Cup final tournaments, Cris Freddi's Complete Book of the World Cup - inexplicably missing from Wilson's bibliography - is still the best in my opinion. But if you want a book that covers all the tournaments including 2014, 2018 and 2022 but without all the individual match details, Wilson's book is the best available.

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and entertaining

G.N. · 23 October 2025

Comprehensive, interesting and some stories I wasn't aware of. Top writer and an entertaining read. Highly recommend.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, a must for smart football fans

A.R. · 27 October 2025

Wilson is the best football writer in the UK, and this shows why. Beautifully written, incredbly deep research, packed with the most fascinating stories. Love it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb history of the World Cup

F. · 15 October 2025

Another excellent book by Jonathan Wilson examining each World Cup in turn with a superb level of fascinating detail and insight.As well as the matches at each tournament there is also plenty about FIFA and football politics; amazingly, shady dealings and general chicanery are not modern phenomena in FIFA world!If you enjoy Mr Wilson’s excellent It Was What It Was podcast, you’ll love this book.

An engaging and enjoyable read

J.I. · 25 October 2025

Truly a "New History". Not just a rehash of otherwise familiar material but, rather, a beautifully written, exhaustive overview brimming with fresh insights, original anecdotes and thought-provoking takes on the facts.

More from this brand

Similar items from “Football (Soccer)”

Share with

Or share with link

https://www.bolo.ae/products/K0349145709