WORLD CUP 2026 – FC GEOPOLITICS -

At a time when Donald Trump intends to make the 2026 World Cup a showcase of power for the United States and a political instrument in the service of his ideology, one thing is clear: the soccer World Cup has always been political. National team players are «ambassadors in spikes», responsible for presenting their country’s symbols, identity and image to the world. Behind the goals, the exploits and the emotions, the World Cup is an instrument of soft power and power projection, sometimes revealing the international balance of power. In this new edition, Kévin Veyssière tells 26 stories in which the round ball is at the heart of major international political issues. How did Mussolini use the 1934 World Cup to further his fascist regime? Why did the match between Kuwait and France in 1982 give rise to the first diplomatic arbitration in World Cup history? What went on behind the scenes of the «peace match» between the USA and Iran in 1998? What do the World Cups in Qatar 2022, Saudi Arabia 2034 and the 48-team World Cup 2026 have in store for us? World Cup 2026 invites the curious, whether soccer fans or budding geographers, to travel the world through great sporting moments, while helping to understand the geopolitical stakes of our planet.