The Power and the Glory

'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 Power and the Glory explores the football World Cup, the most watched sporting event on the planet. It has become a global obsession: 211 nations initially entered the 2022 edition. Running for almost a century, its comprehensive history has never been thoroughly chronicled—until now.

This book considers 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 also places the tournaments within a socio-political framework. The story of the World Cup is also the story of the world; The Power and the Glory tells its definitive history.