2026 World Cup - Football Club Geopolitics - Volume 4

When geopolitics enters the soccer field

How did a small country like Uruguay make its mark on the international stage thanks to soccer? Why did a simple match between the United States and Iran become a historic diplomatic moment? Why has the World Cup become both a major political issue for some countries with no soccer culture, such as Qatar, and a powerful showcase for other nations seeking recognition, from Croatia to Curaçao?
Every four years, the World Cup goes far beyond the realm of sport. It becomes a barometer of tensions, ambitions, and national trajectories on a global scale.
In just a few decades, soccer has established itself as the most popular sport on the planet, capable of attracting more than three billion television viewers. It is a unique event, where nations play not only for a trophy, but also for their image, visibility, and sometimes their place on the international stage.
Through 22 unusual stories, told in narrative form, this book recounts how the World Cup has become a forum for expressing power relations, a mirror of societies, and a marker of major geopolitical balances.
From the origins of the World Cup in Mussolini's Italy, to Kuwait's incredible participation in 1982, to Qatar in 2022, to a 2026 World Cup already marked by the political stakes of Donald Trump's America, soccer sheds light on the dynamics of the contemporary world.
What better than a book during this World Cup to invite the curious, soccer fans, and budding geographers to travel the world through great sporting moments, while helping to understand the geopolitical issues of our planet.
The World Cup always tells a story that goes far beyond 90 minutes on the field.

Kévin Veyssière, 34, is the founder of FC Geopolitics (80,000 subscribers), a media outlet that popularizes geopolitics and sports. He is a recognized expert in this field and is regularly invited by national media outlets and conferences on the subject. He is the author of four books (Football Club Geopolitics, Mondial, Planète Rugby, GeopOlympics) published by Max Milo.