In this unique book, Sten Soederman explores the prospect of China reaching its goal of hosting the 2050 World Cup. Soederman takes into consideration China's size, resources, traditions and political system to ask what needs to be done and how. The book assesses football in China today, discussing the main driving forces behind the development of football in China, and offering an analysis of its organizational structure, strengths, regulations, and weaknesses. Taking a comparative approach, Soederman asks if China should simply adopt the European model of football, including values and skills, through imported players and coaches, or if it is better for China to forge its own path by building on its traditions and limiting the possibility of investing in foreign players, coaches and foreign football clubs. Looking to the future, the book outlines new models and tools to analyse the footballization of China. Soederman concludes with the argument that grassroots activity is the most critical factor in the development of football in China. Examining if a strategic management mix will help China win the 2050 World Cup, this book will be a valuable resource for scholars and students of sport management and Asian business studies.

1982 tells the story of football's most exhilarating and entertaining World Cup side. This scintillating Brazil team - blessed with Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder and Junior - lit up the 1982 World Cup with a brand of football that was 'futebol arte'. Playing to the accompaniment of a samba soundtrack from their supporters in the stands, the side scored 15 goals in five games and enchanted the world, but their dream fell apart in the Sarria Stadium against Italy. Even so, it was a match considered one of the greatest World Cup fixtures of all time and it changed the way the game was played forever.The Brazilian 1982 World Cup side have become a cast of mythical characters. Despite failing to reach the semi-finals, they made the football world hold its breath every time they stepped on the pitch. Told through the eyes of a young boy who fell in love with the men in yellow, and the memories of those who were there to witness Brazil's most glorious failure, 1982 is the definitive account of the greatest team never to win a World Cup.

Fantastic Football is the second book in the Stupendous Sports series which aims to do for PE what Horrible Histories did for Year 7 history. Full of cartoons, jokes, fun facts and useful stats, it gives a brief history of football, details of player positions, the future of the game, the importance of diversity, the forthcoming Football World Cup, the rise of women's football, plus a great section on skills and tricks. Brilliantly illustrated by Matt Cherry, this is for fans of the beautiful game, their parents (and grandparents), but firstly for young readers who want something entertaining to dip into and, like the game itself, to share with friends.

Be inspired by Football Legend, Kylian Mbappe! Discover more about this incredible player's journey from his early career at AS Bondy, coached by his father, to his success at Paris Saint-Germain FC and fulfilling his dream of playing for France. Football Legends: Young readers will love finding out all about the lives of their favourite players in this incredible biography series. Packed with footie facts and match stats plus Mbappe's career highlights Also in the series: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Tammy Abraham, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lionel Messi. Amazing cover artwork illustrated by Stanley Chow, whose iconic work has found worldwide acclaim

Be inspired by Football Legend, Gareth Southgate! Discover more about this incredible player's journey from his early career at Southampton F.C. to his role as manager of England's national football team and his triumphant leadership that got England to the finals at UEFA Euro 2020. Football Legends: Young readers will love finding out all about the lives of their favourite players in this incredible biography series. Packed with footie facts and match stats plus Southgate's career highlights. Also in the series: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Tammy Abraham, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Amazing cover artwork illustrated by Stanley Chow, whose iconic work has found worldwide acclaim.

Despite many negative expectations of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia delivered one of the best World Cups in living memory. This book brings together leading scholars working in Russian studies, sociology and political science to analyse the 2018 World Cup and assess its significance for sport, Russia and the world. The book explores the connections between sport, soft power, populism, protest, and international politics, and investigates topics including security, surveillance, social media and patriotic mobilization, shining new light on key contemporary themes in the social sciences. It reflects upon the importance of sporting mega-events for public diplomacy, and considers what the 2018 World Cup can tell us about the current condition of Russian society and the Russian state. This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in soccer, sport and society, Russia, international politics, events, or post-Soviet societies.

The Making of the FIFA World Cup takes us on a fast-paced trip through the history of football's biggest tournament, with a comprehensive collection of the World Cup's defining moments. Filled with unforgettable episodes such as England's 1966 triumph and Maradona's 'Hand of God', the book transports us to the World Cup's most important flashpoints, recounting each moment and the story behind it. It also puts some of the World Cup's quirkiest events under the microscope: whether it's Zaire's bizarre defence of a free kick against Brazil in 1974 or a scruffy collie dog locating the stolen World Cup trophy under a car in London. From the greatest goals to the biggest controversies, from the funniest moments to the most memorable matches, The Making of the FIFA World Cup gives you an in-depth look at why the competition is sport's most-watched event - through the moments that make it so dramatic, popular and irresistibly exciting.

Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Football Book of the Year 2022 One of the Financial Times Top 5 Best Sports Books of the Year The 1970 World Cup is widely regarded as the greatest ever staged, with more goals per game than any World Cup since. But more than just the proliferation of goals was the quality of the overall football, as some of the finest teams ever to represent the likes of West Germany, Peru, Italy and England came together for a tilt at the world title. But at the heart of the tournament were Brazil; captained by Carlos Alberto and featuring legends like Pele, Gerson, Jairzinho, Rivellino and Tostao, the 1970 Selecao are often cited as the greatest-ever World Cup team. Using brand new interviews alongside painstaking archival research, Andrew Downie charts each stage of the tournament, from the preparations to the final, telling a host of remarkable stories in the players' own words. The result is an immediate, insightful and compelling narrative that paints a unique portrait of an extraordinary few weeks when football hit peaks it has seldom reached since. This is Mexico 1970. Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth.

Glory and Despair is a pictorial celebration of the World Cup that takes us on a spellbinding journey, from the inaugural tournament in 1930 to the present day. Using stunning library stock images, the book brings to life the feats of the greatest stars ever to grace the game, including Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Bobby Moore and both Ronaldos. This beautiful visual homage covers the great matches, the incredible goals, the controversies, heroes and villains, capturing the most iconic moments in the greatest tournament of any sport. Glory and Despair is an essential piece of World Cup nostalgia that honours the history of the greatest football show on earth.

When Asia Welcomed the World tells the story of the 2002 World Cup, a tournament that will be remembered for many reasons, from heart-warming stories to dark accusations. The book resurrects the great characters that lit up 2002's biggest footballing stage, including Ronaldo, Oliver Kahn, David Beckham and Ru?tu Recber, as well as humbling defeats for the game's giants at the hands of comparative minnows. It also explores the tournament's controversies and issues that arose before it had even begun. This was Asia's first ever World Cup, with South Korea and Japan also acting as the continent's first ever co-hosts. The tournament's legacy has proved to be a divisive one, but it has remained ingrained in football's collective memory for 20 years and will continue to do so.

Qatar 2022 is an insider's view of the country's ambitious plans for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, and the journey that led them to become the first World Cup hosts in the Arab world. From desert tribes to pearl divers, to being custodians of the third-largest gas reserve in the world, there are many fascinating facets to this great nation. The book reveals how an influx of wealth transformed the country's aspirations to become a global powerhouse. To achieve recognition and regional dominance, Qatar strategically made sport its prime focus before delivering the seemingly impossible and winning the World Cup bid in 2010. There were many stumbling blocks along the way, but Qatar refused to quit. With the eyes of the world turning to Qatar for World Cup 2022, the nation realises this event will be pivotal to how the world perceives it. Knowing Qatar's ability to host events with panache, prepare to be blown away!

Zurich, 2 December 2010. Sepp Blatter pulls the name of Qatar from the envelope. The accusations fly and the recriminations start. And once it s all sunk in, we start looking at maps and temperature charts and try to scrape together any fragments of knowledge about kingdoms in the Arabian desert. The Armchair Guide looks underneath some of the myths and preconceptions and tries to provide the average fan if there s any such thing with some sound information about what a World Cup in the desert might look like. Was the bidding process corrupt? How many people actually did die building stadiums? How hot will it really be? Can I go there with my mates and have a drink anywhere? What will the legacy be both in the region and for the global game? A light-hearted, sideways glance, Armchair Guide uses stories from within and beyond the game to cover everything about the 2022 Winter World Cup. It can t boast that it will pick a winner, but it ll go some way to shedding light on football s place in a changing world.

This book examines the most prolific international women's football tournament-the FIFA Women's World Cup-through media, fandom and how mediated women's soccer can improve on a global scale. Women's soccer has exploded in terms of media exposure, television audiences and live spectatorship. This book explores those macro-level issues, while also digging into micro-level topics such as Megan Rapinoe's celebrations and political activism, VAR reviews, LGBTQ imagery, and cultural obstacles for women's football in Central-Eastern Europe and Nigeria. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scholars look at issues through the lenses of feminist theory, cultural studies, rhetorical criticism, political economy, performative sport fandom, autoethnography, and more. Thus, the book is important reading for students, researchers and media practitioners with interests in women's soccer, gender in sports media, coverage of women's sport, and sport fandom.

Many books have been written about the 1966 World Cup but this one is different. Brian Scovell was the only national newspaper sports writer-for the 'Daily Sketch'-to report on both the World Cup and the England v West Indies series dominated by Gary Sobers. He had full access to the heroes like Bobby Charlton, who was nearly run over on the day of the Final, Bobby Moore, who was sacked by West Ham just before the event and reinstated, Eusebio, Alf Ramsey, Colin Cowdrey, Tom Graveney, Brian Close, Ken Barrington, Wes Hall and all the leading figures. He contrasts these stirring and sportsmanlike happenings against what is occurring now-greed and corruption in football and the absence of genuine heroes in cricket. His 'on the spot reports' from his cuttings and the book he wrote on the Test series at the time, 'Everything that's cricket,' brings to life the action which captivated the nation. This is his 27th book and four of them have been short listed by the British Sports Books Award. After the 'Sketch' was merged with the 'Daily Mail' in 1971, he completed forty years with Associated Newspapers before retiring to write books.

A group of volunteers begged, borrowed and remortgaged a house on their way to convincing FIFA to hand them the keys to the 1994 World Cup. When they got the green light, the USA was tasked with presenting the greatest show on earth to a nation of non-believers, with a press corps just waiting for them to fail. Six years later, the country famed for its glitz, glamour and razzmatazz delivered a glorious summer of memorable kits and billowing goal nets, confounding the doubters as they shattered attendance records and drew fans in their millions. The full-throttle journey to the global phenomenon that football is today had begun. It was a tale of two missed penalties, a car chase, internal politics, triumph and tragedy in equal measure. Heroes were born, dreams were shattered and for many life would never be the same. If Italia 90 unlocked the door to the modern game, then USA 94 kicked it open and nailed it to the wall. The revolution was here, and it was televised.

This is the essential reference book to have for preparing and watching the 2006 tournament in Germany this Summer. Everything is here, from the historical perspective to line-up for each match. The book has the statistics, the groupings, team and player profiles, the venues and the trivia. A historical perspective since 1930 is given with extensive game and round commentary. One chapter recalls the most memorable games in each tournament. Another chapter is devoted to the best and brightest players. The qualifying rounds of the international soccer competition are summarised, highlighting the pivotal games for each of the 32 qualifying nations. The twelve German venues for the tournament are described, assessing the pros and cons of each site. The centrepiece of the book is an entry for each qualifying team describing the country, previous appearances and history, qualifying games, key players, player pool, probable line-up and a short discussion of how the team will fare in this competition. Many interesting features, anecdotes, and trivia on the participating teams are sprinkled throughout the text.

Despite many negative expectations of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia delivered one of the best World Cups in living memory. This book brings together leading scholars working in Russian studies, sociology and political science to analyse the 2018 World Cup and assess its significance for sport, Russia and the world. The book explores the connections between sport, soft power, populism, protest, and international politics, and investigates topics including security, surveillance, social media and patriotic mobilization, shining new light on key contemporary themes in the social sciences. It reflects upon the importance of sporting mega-events for public diplomacy, and considers what the 2018 World Cup can tell us about the current condition of Russian society and the Russian state. This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in soccer, sport and society, Russia, international politics, events, or post-Soviet societies.

Brazil 1970 is the fascinating and dramatic inside story of the greatest football team of all time. Predicted to be drab and dull, the 1970 World Cup became the greatest show on Earth, with the mesmerising Brazilians at the heart of a dramatic and delirious three weeks. After their demise at the 1966 World Cup, the South Americans were no longer the masters of the game. The defenestration rattled Brazil, and left them in purgatory before they swept through the qualifiers with coach Joao Saldanha. Even so, the team left their home country discredited against the backdrop of a military dictatorship and the proliferation of science in the game. At the World Cup finals, Mario Zagallo and his cast of balletic players - including lodestar Pele, the cerebral Gerson and the ingenious Tostao - ensured Brazil would forever be synonymous with the global game and a byword for style and craft. Their triumph was also the end of Brazil's golden era. The technocrats had invaded the terrain and Brazil would never again reach those heights.

In the Heat of the Midday Sun is a love letter to the 1986 World Cup. A tournament viewed via the shimmering satellite images of an age before the dawn of high-definition coverage - which was introduced four years later, at Italia '90 - it was the last World Cup where the commentaries sounded like they were broadcast from the surface of the moon. Mexico took on the tournament after Colombia failed to deliver on their host candidature, relinquishing the rights in 1983. With a devastating Mexico City earthquake just eight months before the big kick-off, it was a miracle that the Estadio Azteca was still able to be the venue of Diego Maradona's greatest and most infamous hours. As well as Argentina's most gifted son, Mexico '86 was blessed by the presence of Socrates, Platini, Francescoli, Butragueno, Belanov and Elkjaer to name but a few of the icons on display. This is the story of an evocative World Cup that seemed to be held together by Sellotape.

When the World Cup circus came to town it jolted South Africa out of its insular navel-gazing and roused a nation. Defying the sceptics and the Afro-pessimists - both at home and abroad - we put on a great show not just for South Africa, but for the whole continent. The Vuvezela Revolution is the definitive account of Africa's First World Cup ... definitive because it captures not only the big questions about South Africa's handling of the global mega-event, offering serious and insightful answers about the legacy of 2010, but also because it reveals the vivid granularity of this beautiful country during that extraordinary month - Jabulani, vuvuzelas and all. Thirty days that changed and built a nation ... or did it? Was it all just an act?

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1966 FIFA World Cup, hosted in England. Unlike previous literature, which has tended to focus activities on the field, this book brings an institutional level approach to organizing the 1966 FIFA World Cup and examines the management process in the buildup and execution of the event. This intriguing new volume looks at the first significant UK government intervention in football and how this created a significant legacy as the government started to take a real interest in leisure facilities and stadium safety as policy areas after this competition. Foundations of Managing Sporting Events will be of considerable interest to research academics working on aspects of post war British, Imperial, and World history including sport, social, business, economic, and political history.

This book examines the most prolific international women's football tournament-the FIFA Women's World Cup-through media, fandom and how mediated women's soccer can improve on a global scale. Women's soccer has exploded in terms of media exposure, television audiences and live spectatorship. This book explores those macro-level issues, while also digging into micro-level topics such as Megan Rapinoe's celebrations and political activism, VAR reviews, LGBTQ imagery, and cultural obstacles for women's football in Central-Eastern Europe and Nigeria. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scholars look at issues through the lenses of feminist theory, cultural studies, rhetorical criticism, political economy, performative sport fandom, autoethnography, and more. Thus, the book is important reading for students, researchers and media practitioners with interests in women's soccer, gender in sports media, coverage of women's sport, and sport fandom.

THE World Cup 2022 Book is a fun, informative look at the football World Cup. Here you will read summaries of each of the 32 teams competing for the cup, including their team history, current coach, their strategies and tactics on the field, and their top players to watch. The World Cup superstars are all presented, evaluated, and scored. The analyses of the teams and their predicted performance in Qatar will guide you through the many matches. After scanning the QR code, you will have additional bonus material on the leading scorers from past World Cups and background information on FIFA and Qatar; you will discover the interesting role corner kicks play in matches and which are the "top flopping" teams; and those interested in esports will find a brief bonus section on FIFAe. With this book, prepare to enjoy and follow one of the biggest global sporting events, the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

WATERSTONES BEST BOOKS OF 2022 - SPORT 'A brilliant new perspective on World Cup management... Superbly insightful .' - Jamie Carragher 'Superb - great stories about the greatest tournament' - Daniel Taylor Master tacticians, crazy tyrants and lucky generals... This insightful investigation reveals the mindsets and, frankly, at times unbelievable approaches of the coaches who strive to deliver football's ultimate prize. HOW DO YOU WIN THE WORLD CUP? Godlike genius or the focus of a disappointed nation's fury - the world's most prestigious tournament makes or breaks a national coach. Only 20 managers have guided their team to World Cup glory, so what are their secrets? From revolutionary tactics to hare-brained schemes, this book searches for the keys to the most exclusive club in international football. They may silently plot on the bench or manically gesticulate from the sidelines, but what can the coach really do to influence their team's performance? Discover the tactical innovations and brilliant strategies as well as the bizarre superstitions, psychological masterclasses and bonkers team-building regimes that managers have employed in the quest for that iconic trophy. Charting the successes, failures, dramas and controversies of 90 years of World Cup action, through the insights of journalists, players and managers with first-hand experience of World Cup competition, this book comprehensively documents the lengths the man in the dugout will go to in order to bring home the greatest prize. The book features contributions from leading World Cup stars, including Luiz Felipe Scolari, Geoff Hurst, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Pierre Littbarski, Roberto Martinez, Mick McCarthy, Tomas Brolin, Jamie Carragher, Alexi Lalas, Patrick Barclay, Raphael Honigstein and Graham Hunter. 'A rich and rewarding football read' - Patrick Barclay 'A fascinating read' - Barry Davies