{"product_id":"needs-metadata-9798897100644","title":"World Cup Fever A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBy:\u003c\/strong\u003e Simon Kuper\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePublished by Pegasus Books, 2026-03-03\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;b\u0026gt;The story of how soccer has transformed the world—as seen through nine World Cups—by one of our most talented writers on the sport.\u0026lt;\/b\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;The World Cup is the biggest sporting spectacle on Earth—a chance every four years for the greatest players to win international glory, and a month-long media event that's watched by an audience of billions.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt; \u0026lt;br\u0026gt; But the tournament has changed beyond recognition since the inaugural event in Montevideo, Uruguay, in July 1930. What was once a semi-professional meeting beset by haphazard play has evolved to become a game of multinational buyouts, dubious ethics, and questionable aims—and the new era of soccer has much to tell us about the globalized world.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt; \u0026lt;br\u0026gt; Simon Kuper is among the vanishingly small number of writers who have attended every World Cup since 1990. \u0026lt;i\u0026gt;World Cup Fever\u0026lt;\/i\u0026gt; is his journey to find the heart of soccer, through the nine tournaments he's experienced first-hand—from watching matches in half-empty stands during Italia 1990 (a tournament that at times felt like a village fete) to witnessing the French triumph at home in 1998; South Africa's national dream in 2010; and the troubling legacy of Qatar in 2022.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt; \u0026lt;br\u0026gt; Told on the pitch, in the stands, in the pubs, and on the streets, this is the story of how soccer has changed the world\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Phoenix Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47085292191913,"sku":"PHBK-9798897100644","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0578\/9899\/1785\/files\/8902803488916.jpg?v=1779379835","url":"https:\/\/myti.com\/products\/needs-metadata-9798897100644","provider":"Myti","version":"1.0","type":"link"}