2022 World Cup

The definitive illustrated guide to FIFA Women's World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023 that no football fan should be without.

The most high-profile event on the women's football calendar, the FIFA Women's World Cup will take place between 20 July and 20 August 2023, at venues across Australia and New Zealand, with 32 teams competing for the most prestigious international prize in world football.

FIFA Women's World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023: The Official Guide covers every aspect of the tournament, from the host cities to full profiles of all 32 qualified teams, along with features on the star players due to light up the competition and magic moments from FIFA Women's World Cups past. Packed full of facts and statistics, and beautifully illustrated with a superb collection of photographs, FIFA Women's World Cup Australia/New Zealand 2023: The Official Guide is suitable for fans of all ages and is the perfect accompaniment to the year's biggest football event.

England and the 1966 World Cup presents a cultural analysis of what is considered a key 'moment of modernity' in the nation's post-war history. Regarded as having an importance beyond its primary sporting purpose, the World Cup in England is examined within the complexity of the cultural, social and political changes that characterised the mid-1960s. Yet, although addressing the importance of non-sport related connections, the book maintains a focus on football, discussing it as a 'cultural form' and presenting an original perspective on the aesthetic accomplishment in football tactics by England's manager, Alf Ramsey.

The study considers the World Cup in relation to the cup tradition, England as the World Cup host nation, the England squad and masculinity, the modernism of England's manager Alf Ramsey, design and commercial aspects of the World Cup, a critical engagement within existing academic accounts, and an examination of how England's victory has been remembered and commemorated.

England and the 1966 World Cup presents a cultural analysis of what is considered a key 'moment of modernity' in the nation's post-war history. Regarded as having an importance beyond its primary sporting purpose, the World Cup in England is examined within the complexity of the cultural, social and political changes that characterised the mid-1960s. Yet, although addressing the importance of non-sport related connections, the book maintains a focus on football, discussing it as a 'cultural form' and presenting an original perspective on the aesthetic accomplishment in football tactics by England's manager, Alf Ramsey.

The study considers the World Cup in relation to the cup tradition, England as the World Cup host nation, the England squad and masculinity, the modernism of England's manager Alf Ramsey, design and commercial aspects of the World Cup, a critical engagement within existing academic accounts, and an examination of how England's victory has been remembered and commemorated.

The FIFA Ultimate Quiz Book is the supreme test of your soccer (football) knowledge.

With 4,000 questions covering a wide range of topics, every aspect of the beautiful game is tested. Each quiz focuses on a different subject, from the World Cups and major international teams, to the great clubs and legendary players.

Are you up to the challenge

Filled with quizzes, stats and little known facts, plus illustrated and told with all the fun of a Tom Gates novel, the Soccer Superstars series is perfect for young readers five and up.

Is Kylian Mbappé your ultimate soccer hero? His quick feet and shooting skills have made him one of the world's top forwards and the youngest ever player to score 16 goals in the Champions League.

Mbappé started playing at the age of six and his first coach was his dad. Find out how he went from playing on the pitch he created in his living room to becoming the second teenager in history to score in a World Cup final.

Soccer Superstars is a series aimed at building a love of reading from a young age, with fun cartoons, inspirational stories, a simple narrative style and a cast of characters chipping in with quotes, jokes and comments.

Explore the complete history of the FA Cup in this definitive illustrated book.

The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world, and one of the most beloved and popular tournaments in football. In 2022, it will be 150 years since the inaugural Football Association Challenge Cup was clinched by Wanderers Football Club at Kennington Oval. Since then, 'The Cup' has become one of the premier tournaments in the sport, and an iconic mainstay of the English game.

The Official History of the FA Cup, produced in partnership with the Football Association, is a lavish, illustrated tribute to this iconic competition. Filled with stunning photographs spanning the full history of the Cup, this book celebrates the most exciting, significant and memorable goals, games and upsets in English football history. Featuring insightful commentary on the FA Cup's development and evolution, as well as details of every Cup-winning side, this is an essential companion for anyone with a love of the competition - which is to say, fans of football everywhere.

Shoot! broke new ground as a football magazine when it first hit the shelves in August 1969. It was written for the younger fan, but mixed serious issues with lighter items. Liberally sprinkled with action photographs, some in full color, it brought football to life and was bought every week by tens of thousands of fans eager to see their heroes in all their glory.

For the more seasoned football supporter, Shoot! The Premier League will bring back fond memories of a time when coiffure came with curtains, football shirts were seriously capacious and Gazza managed to single-handedly resurrect the game by bursting into tears. They'll recall the days when Robbie Fowler favored a pugnacious nose plaster, David Ginola was supremely confident he was 'worth it' and Football Italia graced our TV screens. Ah, what a time it was to be alive! And for post-millennials, this will be a history lesson, proof positive that their dad's heroes really did exist – and weren't half bad either.

Shoot! has seen numerous rivals come and go. Haircuts and fashion styles have changed, players have become more pampered and otherworldly but football remains 11 vs 11 (until the cards come flying out) and it is still the greatest sport in the world.

The complete, official history of the England football team as you've never seen it before!

England: The Official History is a fascinating account of the world's oldest and most iconic national football team.

• Includes England's fantastic performance at EURO 2020.
• A great gift for any England fan.
• Features more than 250 exceptional photographs of England icons past and present including Alf Ramsey, Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Hope Powell, David Beckham, Steph Houghton and Harry Kane.
• The complete story of the England men's and women's teams - from 1872 right up to the present day.
• Written by award-winning journalist and author Daniel Storey in association with the FA and filled with incredible stories spanning 150 years of England football.

There are few football clubs in the world that attract as much interest in the modern game as Chelsea. Whether it is the latest observations from former coach Maurizio Sarri, his successor Frank Lampard, big-money transfer targets, the style of play or results in Europe, everybody thinks they know what's happening – or at least has an opinion on it.

The arrival in 2003 of Russian billionaire tycoon Roman Abramovich as owner turned a glamorous club with a long history of under-achievement, into an international powerhouse. After one championship in 99 years, the Blues have, in a dozen years, won five Premier League titles, plus the UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Europa League titles, five FA Cups and three Football League Cups. The club always was a magnet for well-known names – vaudeville legend George Robey played for the Pensioners in the club's earliest days – and, in the modern era, Stamford Bridge has become home to a dazzling array of world stars. From Ron 'Chopper' Harris and Ken Bates through Ruud Gullit, Roberto Di Matteo and Glenn Hoddle to Jose Mourinho, John Terry, Zola, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, there is no lack of characters to draw on for quotes.

Everything the young fan needs to know about Raheem Sterling. Filled with quizzes, stats and little known facts, plus illustrated and told with all the fun of a Tom Gates novel, the Soccer Superstars series is perfect for young readers five and up.

Raheem Sterling played his first Premier League match in 2015 and in just four years has scored 116 goals and made 114 assists in 388 games for club and country.

Discover the rags-to-riches story of a young boy who loved playing football, even in the rain, and how he followed his passion to become one of the most lethal forwards in world football.

Soccer Superstars is a series aimed at building a love of reading from a young age, with fun cartoons, inspirational stories, a simple narrative style and a cast of characters chipping in with quotes, jokes and comments.

See the 85-year history of the World Cup as never before: through 100 iconic objects associated with the game.  

This fabulous photographic history boasts the most fascinating collection of artifacts from the FIFA World Cup. The 100 objects include: 

• The ball used in the final of the very first tournament
• The collar of Pickles the dog (who found the stolen FIFA World Cup trophy in 1966)
• The shirt Bobby Moore gave to Pelé in the 1970 finals and the one Diego Maradona wore when he scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal
• The infamous, controversial vuvuzela
• And the scoreboard that registered Brazil’s calamitous defeat to Germany

Is Gareth Southgate your ultimate hero in football?

Discover how this 'posh' boy survived the mean jokes about his nose to become a dependable defender for club and country, and then after retiring as a player, make it all the way to manage the national team.

Despite the mean footballing environment, find out how the polite though steely Southgate stuck it out, carving a career that's seen him captain Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesborough in the Premier League, winning 57 caps for England, and then becoming England manager. The rest, as they say, is history!

The Football Superstars series is aimed at building a love of reading in young children, and is filled with fun cartoons, inspirational stories and a cast of characters chipping in with quotes, jokes and comments.

Manchester City stormed to the clubs fourth Premier League title in 2019, the fourth championship in seven seasons, which is a far cry from the 44-year wait which ended in 2012!

It is hard to believe that less than 20 years ago, City were in what is now League One. Their loyal fans spent so many years riding on the wildest roller-coaster in English football, with so many ups and downs that they hardly knew in which division they were competing, but things have changed and now City are among not only England's elite, but also Europe's.

This incredible journey is recorded in this updated edition of The Little Book of Man City, a selection of the wit and wisdom of the great characters who have been associated with the club. From managers, such as Malcolm Allison, Kevin Keegan, Roberto Mancini and Pep Guardiola, via garrulous fans such as Radio 1's Mark and Lard and the Gallagher brothers to voluble players such as Francis Lee, Dennis Tueart, Rodney Marsh, Kun Aguero and Vincent Kompany, here are more than 170 funny and biting quotes for the avid fan of 'the only club in Manchester'. As their chaplain once said, 'Imagine where City would be if I hadn't been praying for them all these years.'

The number of kids who love to play soccer has exploded in the last decade. Unfortunately, so has the number of sports injuries. Why? More games, more competitions, and early specialization have all contributed, but so have our methods of training them. High pressure to perform along with an increased volume and intensity of training has combined to hamper young soccer athletes. They favor one side, overuse one muscle group, and do it over and over again. This is a recipe for injury.

In Fit 2 Finish, Dr. LeBolt takes a sport scientist's eye to the training of our soccer-loving kids. She distills the gems of two decades of coaching and injury prevention training to display the methods that have worked to make her athletes safer, healthier and more effective, all while never losing the fun. Coaches at all levels can apply the Fit2Finish principles to every facet of their coaching: warm up, skills and drills, game play, post game routines, recovery, rest and preparing for the next game. Fit 2 Finish is the training manual and the game plan for the coach who's first objective is to keep kids healthy and in the game.

Yes, we must address the 'too much, too early' in today's youth sports, but while we go about changing the culture, the kids who are currently in it need saving. Today's coaches can start now by taking the Fit2Finish method straight to their practice field. If strong, balanced, healthy, high-performing athletes are what we're after, then Fit 2 Finish will get us there.

In Fit 2 Finish, Dr. LeBolt takes a sport scientist's eye to the training of our soccer-loving kids. She distills the gems of two decades of coaching and injury prevention training to display the methods that have worked to make her athletes safer, healthier and more effective, all while never losing the fun. Coaches at all levels can apply the Fit2Finish principles to every facet of their coaching: warm up, skills and drills, game play, post game routines, recovery, rest and preparing for the next game. Fit 2 Finish is the training manual and the game plan for the coach who's first objective is to keep kids healthy and in the game.

Yes, we must address the 'too much, too early' in today's youth sports, but while we go about changing the culture, the kids who are currently in it need saving. Today's coaches can start now by taking the Fit2Finish method straight to their practice field. If strong, balanced, healthy, high-performing athletes are what we're after, then Fit 2 Finish will get us there.

The first edition of The Price of Football quickly established itself as the go-to guide to understanding football club finance for the serious fan. Kieran Maguire, one of the UK’s top football finance analysts, shows how professional clubs operate as businesses and explains, in non-technical language, how to read, understand and interrogate club accounts.

As a clear-headed analysis and presentation of the financial imperatives and challenges facing football clubs across the English and Scottish Leagues, it has become a welcome resource not only for students of the industry, but by a wider constituency of supporters looking to understand their club’s latest transfer deal, or season ticket price.

This fully revised and updated edition includes analysis of the most recent club accounts, the latest legal rulings on club affairs, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the game’s finances.

The first edition of The Price of Football quickly established itself as the go-to guide to understanding football club finance for the serious fan. Kieran Maguire, one of the UK’s top football finance analysts, shows how professional clubs operate as businesses and explains, in non-technical language, how to read, understand and interrogate club accounts.

As a clear-headed analysis and presentation of the financial imperatives and challenges facing football clubs across the English and Scottish Leagues, it has become a welcome resource not only for students of the industry, but by a wider constituency of supporters looking to understand their club’s latest transfer deal, or season ticket price.

This fully revised and updated edition includes analysis of the most recent club accounts, the latest legal rulings on club affairs, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the game’s finances.

Just a game? This intriguing visual title looks deep into the underbelly of football (soccer) fandom, featuring a vast photographic archive of fans' graffiti and street art captured by a pioneering ‘graffitologist’. At the intersection of the street and sport we find themes of the day: how racial, ethnic, and class tensions play out in visual culture.

On the fringe of sports culture are the Ultras, the football fans whose pyrotechnics, chants, wildly creative stunts, and hooliganism are infamous. Using selections from his archive containing hundreds of photographs of Ultras' street art and graffiti, including everything from elaborate murals to stickers to “scratchitto” incisions and spray-paint duels, award-winning author Mitja Velikonja introduces readers to the visual iconography of a fascinating underworld.

The Ultra subculture is built by “no-bodys,” the anonymous (primarily) men whose attachments to their teams, specifically in Europe and post-socialist states, sometimes cross the lines into nationalist sentiments and militaristic “Blood and Soil” extremism. After examining general themes and trends in street art and tifo club graffiti, Velikonja embarks on a case study of fans from his native Slovenia and touches on the roles of neighboring football fans in the Balkan Wars. He continues with an analysis of political and socially progressive graffiti, local trends and circumstances, as well as its role in the United States. As he peels back layers of misinformation and misrepresentation, he cues our understanding of factional mindsets within histories of political instability, arguing for dissensus being a critical element to democracies. In the end, we understand that while always under siege, the ultra-fans require nothing less than fidelity and devotion, but precisely to what can be determined — it's anyone's game to call.

Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Football explores some of the most bizarre football events throughout history, from its birth during the Industrial Revolution, to the major tournaments of the Beautiful Game in the 21st century. From the player sold for £10 and a box of kippers, to unusual injuries on the pitch, this book gathers some of the most curious moments of footballing history, a game that continues to be both an amazing entertainment spectacle and extraordinarily accessible to people everywhere.

Brief, accessible and entertaining pieces on a wide variety of subjects makes it the perfect book to dip in to. The amazing and extraordinary facts series presents interesting, surprising and little-known facts and stories about a wide range of topics which are guaranteed to inform, absorb and entertain in equal measure.

In Soccer Rules the World, discover how soccer became the most popular game it is today, boasting a mind-blowing 3.5 billion fans worldwide!

“A good choice for reluctant readers, this eye-catching offering should delight soccer fans and incite interest from the uninitiated.”—Booklist 

From Lionel Messi’s World Cup triumph and USA’s domination in the women’s game, to the greatest goals and pioneering bosses, SOCCER RULES THE WORLD brings you the most incredible TRUE stories from the biggest game on the planet!

The daring duo of Dan and Simon will usher you through the story of soccer - the highlights of course! You'll meet the legendary players and inspirational managers of the beautiful game, relive the magic moments and read stories of epic wins and glorious goals from around the globe.

Wonderfully illustrated - bringing soccer's history back to life - Soccer Rules the World is packed with plenty of jokes, funny characters, as well as the facts and stats that fans of Soccer Superstars have come to know and love.

The must-have companion to the greatest event in world rugby, the Rugby World Cup France 2023.

Containing everything rugby fans will need to enjoy the World Cup, this official guide is packed with images, profiles, previews and charts, making it essential reading for any fan and the perfect companion to all of the tournament action.

And much, much more besides.

With the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup set to get underway in Australia and New Zealand on 20 July 2023, budding soccer fans have the opportunity to follow the action closely with the OFFICIAL FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Kids' Handbook.

This fun-packed guide delivers a wealth of football information in a compact and colourful format - ideal for popping into a child's rucksack. Combining its winning mix of facts about the star players and tournament history with on-the-page puzzles and quizzes, this official licensed product is guaranteed to appeal to young football fans who want to be entertained and well informed - an ideal gift for young football fans tuning into the biggest iwomen's international football tournament ever.

Messi is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

The humble and shy youngster from a working-class family in Rosario, Argentina, who was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11, would become one of the most famous footballers of all time and realise a boyhood dream by captaining Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022.

Messi's popularity around the globe remains undiminished, adored by millions of football fans who put rivalries aside to salute this incredible footballer. He has won every major honour there is to win, including the coveted Ballon d'Or on a record seven occasions and a record two World Cup Golden Ball awards.

His incredible career is mostly centred around his 21-year stay with Barcelona where is revered as a footballing god. Now playing for Paris St Germain, the Argentine genius continues to take the beautiful game to unchartered levels which has spanned a glittering career of more than 20 years – he is, quite simply, a maestro with the gift to do the seemingly impossible.

"I have fun like a child in the street. When the day comes when I'm not enjoying it, I will leave football."
Lionel Messi on retirement

"I start early, and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success."
Messi on Twitter, 13 August 2018

"There is only one Messi."
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager 2018

One of the most eagerly anticipated events on the sporting calendar, the 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship will take place in Germany in June-July 2024, with 24 teams competing for the most prestigious international prize in the European game.

UEFA EURO 2024: The Official Book covers every aspect of the tournament, including a comprehensive analysis of each national team and its chances of success, and a detailed look at the players expected to grab the headlines. It also contains a guide to the 10 stadiums and host cities, a fill-in tournament chart, the story of qualifying and a selection of magic moments.

Packed full of facts and stats and fully illustrated with a great collection of action photographs, UEFA EURO 2024: The Official Book is suitable for fans of all ages and is the perfect accompaniment to 2024's biggest football event.

Welcome to Wrexham!

Everyone in the world is talking about Wrexham AFC – the Red Dragons are on fire. In 2023, the team achieved their fairy-tale dream of promotion after 15 agonizing years of languishing at the very bottom of the lowest league. They did it, in part, thanks to two Hollywood superstars, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who purchased the club in 2020, and promptly took the team on a superhero-inspired adventure back to the top of the turf.

This provincial Welsh football club has now been catapulted onto the world's stage, thanks to the hit Disney+ documentary that followed the celebrities' acquisition, the mega-watt signings, and the dramatic twists and turns that felt straight out of a Hollywood script.

"I love every second of hating it. Wrexham AFC is the greatest drug on earth."
Ryan Reynolds

Founded in 1864, the same year Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president amidst America's Civil War, Wrexham is the oldest football club in Wales.

Es la crónica en caliente, con el recuerdo del campo de batalla aún en la retina, de la deseada y a su modo perfecta conquista de la tercera estrella. Gastón Edul, pegado a la línea de cal y desde la zona mixta, y Alejandro Wall, honrando la tradición de la prensa escrita, nos regalaron en los días de Qatar 2022 crónicas, análisis e información de alto nivel. Pero apenas regresaron a Buenos Aires se pusieron a escribir, en afiebradas veladas de diciembre y enero, este libro urgente y eterno a la vez.
Aquí está la historia íntima de la Copa del Mundo que el fútbol le debía a Lionel Messi; la construcción mítica de Lionel Scaloni, el héroe modesto, el técnico menos pensado; el uno a uno de ese grupo de jugadores y asistentes que torció la historia con sus propias reglas. Centrándose en la final contra Francia, La tercera va y viene en el tiempo, contando lo que no se vio, analizando con agudeza lo que sí y apostando a las nobles armas de la pasión y el periodismo para dejar testimonio de una alegría interminable.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

The intimate history of the World Cup that the soccer world owned Lionel Messi. 

After the first ever intercontinental rally – the London-Sydney in 1968 – there was widespread enthusiasm for an even more difficult test. With the Football World Cup being held in Mexico in 1970, it was the perfect opportunity to hold a parallel, much tougher challenge – the World Cup Rally.
Organisers John Sprinzel and John Brown secured sponsorship from the Daily Mirror and planned a unique high-speed event, lasting six weeks and covering 16,000 miles from London to Mexico City via some of the most varying, tortuous and difficult terrain on three continents.
Serious works teams such as Ford and British Leyland spent tremendous amounts choosing and developing new cars, completing months-long route surveys, and analysing every detail of diets, oxygen provision, and the number of crew members. Despite all this planning, out of an entry of more than 100, only 23 cars made it to the finish. It was then, and remains now, the toughest rally of all time.
This book, now reprinted in paperback, tells the complete story.

A brilliant, kaleidoscopic exploration of soccer—and the passion, hopes, rivalries, superstitions, and global solidarity it inspires—from Juan Villoro, “Mexico's top fútbol expert” (NBC News).

On a planet where FIFA has more members than the United Nations and the World Cup is watched by more than three billion people, football is more than just a game. As revered author Juan Villoro argues in this passionate and compulsively readable tribute to the world’s favorite sport, football may be the most effective catalyst for panglobal unity at the time when we need it most. (Following global consensus, Villoro uses “football” rather than “soccer” in the book.)

What was the greatest goal of all time? Why do the Hungarians have a more philosophical sense of defeat than the Mexicans? Do the dead play football? In essays ranging from incisive and irreverent portraits of Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Pelé, Zidane, and many more giants of the game to entertaining explorations of left-footedness and the number 10, Juan Villoro dissects the pleasure and pain of football fandom. God Is Round is a book for both fanatics and neophytes who long to feel the delirium of the faithful.

A brilliant, kaleidoscopic exploration of soccer—and the passion, hopes, rivalries, superstitions, and global solidarity it inspires—from Juan Villoro, “Mexico's top fútbol expert” (NBC News).

On a planet where FIFA has more members than the United Nations and the World Cup is watched by more than three billion people, football is more than just a game. As revered author Juan Villoro argues in this passionate and compulsively readable tribute to the world’s favorite sport, football may be the most effective catalyst for panglobal unity at the time when we need it most. (Following global consensus, Villoro uses “football” rather than “soccer” in the book.)

What was the greatest goal of all time? Why do the Hungarians have a more philosophical sense of defeat than the Mexicans? Do the dead play football? In essays ranging from incisive and irreverent portraits of Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, Pelé, Zidane, and many more giants of the game to entertaining explorations of left-footedness and the number 10, Juan Villoro dissects the pleasure and pain of football fandom. God Is Round is a book for both fanatics and neophytes who long to feel the delirium of the faithful.