This is the ultimate reference book on the World Cup, with match-by-match articles featuring the biggest names in world football, plus results from every game played. All the statistics are here in one volume, enough to satisfy the most avid of World Cup fans, including team line-ups, goalscorers, stadiums, referees, crowd figures and exact dates, plus an authoritative records and statistics section, as well as detailed reports of every game played in the finals. From the brilliant Italian team, winners in 1934, and Geoff Hurst's hat-trick for England in 1966 to the fabulous Brazilian team of Pele, Tostao and Jairzinho of 1970, and the 1998 French side of Zidane, Deschamps and Desailly, all the fabulous memories and defining moments are captured in this one book. As well as the facts and feats, this book contains archive photographs of some of the most memorable images of football's greatest tournament.

To describe the World Cup as a soccer tournament is equivalent to calling Mount Everest a rather steep hill, Niagara Falls an interesting water feature and the Great Wall of China merely a boundary fence. World Cup France 98 will be massive: a sports spectacle that will transfix billions of people worldwide. Thirty-two countries playing 64 matches, over the course of four hot weeks in June and July, across the length and breadth of France...It isn't just important, it means everything!

The Official History of the FIFA World Cup Book is an authoritative and comprehensive review of the 20 FIFA World Cups to have taken place since the inaugural tournament in 1930. Packed with stunning photography, exclusive interviews of the biggest stars of each edition, unique official documents and statistics, it is a must read for any football fan around the world. No other event in the sporting world can rival the glamour, impact, fervent following and universal appeal of the FIFA World Cup. This unique book tells the stories behind the scenes, as well as analyzing the most famous incidents. It features the biggest stars and many previously unknown ones too, all with a unique worldwide point of view.

An all-encompassing, chronological guide to football's World Cup, one of the world's few truly international events, in good time for the June 2018 kick-off in Russia. From its beginnings in 1930 to the modern all-singing, all-dancing self-styled 'greatest show on Earth', every tournament is covered with features on major stars and great games, as well as stories about some less celebrated names and quirky stats and intriguing essays. Holt's focus is very much on what takes place on the field, rather than how football is a mirror for economic corruption, or how a nation's style of play represents a profound statement about its people, or how a passion for football can lift underpaid, socially marginalised people out of poverty. From the best World Cups, in 1958 and 1970, to the worst, in 1962 and 2010, he looks behind the facts and the technical observations to the stories: the mysterious sins of omission; critical injuries to key players; and coaching U-turns. He explains how England's World Cup achievements under Sven-Göran Eriksson, far from being a national disgrace, were actually quite impressive, and looks at why Alf Ramsey didn't take Bobby Charlton off in 1970, but this is no parochial, jingoistic account. The book also asks why Brazil did not contribute in 1966, despite having won the previous two tournaments and going on to win the next one? Why the greatest players of their day did not always shine at the World Cup - George Best and Alfredo Di Stefano, for example, never even made it to the Finals. Why did Johann Cruyff not go to the 1978 World Cup? And why did one of Germany's greatest players never play in the World Cup? There are lots of tables, some filled with obvious, but necessary information, but others with more quirky observations. Alongside accounts of epic games, there are also brief biographies of all the great heroes of the World Cup.

This resource has been updated with the results of the World Cup 2010 and allthe latest international soccer action.

Packed with stunning photography and expert analysis of each team, its star players and its prospects in the finals, this is essential reading for football fans everywhere. The book also features a guide to each of the stadiums and host cities, a history of the World Cup and a tournament progress chart that can be filled in as the competition progresses. No other event in the sporting world can rival the glamour, impact, fervent following and universal appeal of the World Cup - and no other tournament comes close to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Official Book. Whether you are watching the games live in Brazil or in your own home, this is the tournament preview for you.