The History of the World Cup with Jonathan Wilson

The History of the World Cup with Jonathan Wilson

May 30, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

Jonathan Wilson discusses the history of the World Cup and his book detailing the tournaments.

My guest is Jonathan Wilson, whose latest book, The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup is comprehensive overview of the 22 tournaments to date. We major on the first World Cup in Uruguay, the pivotal Italia '90, the 1980s, USA 1994, and why all 21st century World Cups look the same. If you enjoy Outside Write , do please leave a review. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky and Instagram Check out Chris Lee's three books: · Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World · The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism · Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

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