“World Cups don’t change the world,” according to journalist Simon Kuper, “but they do illuminate it.”
Curaçao, a Caribbean nation that's part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup - just 156,000 inhabitants. Many people hadn't heard of it. So qualification will boost tourism - me for @financialtimes.com. Free to read www.ft.com/content/8159...
My choice of the defining moments in World Cup history: Barbosa 1950, Zidane/Materazzi, Randall Kolo Muani in 2022, and of course Maradona, Carlos Alberto etc. For Town & Country magazine: www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/spor...
On Thursday, when the World Cup finally kicks off, I'm doing an Ask Me Anything for my paper, @financialtimes.com. This will be my 10th World Cup. The first, in 1990, I went to as a fan. All the others I covered for the FT. Join the 'AMA' here: www.ft.com/content/9dd3...
How Infantino and Trump fit into the history of the World Cup and FIFA, going right back to Jules Rimet and Mussolini. And why people should watch and love the tournament regardless. Me rolling out the history and politics just before setting off to my 10th World Cup @FT as.ft.com/r/f960df4e-e...
Champion is only one of the titles on offer at World Cups. There's also Cinderella, Clown (usually England), Beautiful Loser (used to be Holland), and above all Villain - a prize that only one man has ever won twice. Me decoding the tournament @financialtimes.com as.ft.com/r/ccb20702-8...
How international footballers are the world's best linguists, with stories about Cape Verde, Belgium, Morocco, Mbappé, Lukaku (probably the game's leading linguist) and even Harry Kane and Scott McTominay (less good). Me
@financialtimes.com doing all World Cup all the time as.ft.com/r/48d2d858-4...
Can soccer still unite people across borders, class, and cultures in an increasingly authoritarian world?
newrepublic.com
Take part in a live Ask an Expert Q&A with the FT’s sports columnist on Thursday 11 June, at 1pm BST
'Will this really be the "Trump Cup" – or could it jump up and bite him? Is this tournament a shocking new departure, or does it fit neatly into the World Cup's political history?'
Don't miss this entertaining piece from #WorldCupFever author @simonkuper.bsky.social in the @financialtimes.com ⚽🏆
Who will win the World Cup? Nobody knows anything. Me starting my @financialtimes.com coverage by explaining why this tournament is much harder to predict than a league or, say, Wimbledon - and which historical patterns give us some sort of guide. My dark horse: Norway. as.ft.com/r/64f7aa71-0...
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper
Kathleen J. Frydl
Football’s biggest show kicks off next week and the US president means to be its biggest star. But hosts do not always get what they want
⚽ The World Cup is more than a tournament - it’s a mirror to modern history. "World Cup Fever" author @simonkuper.bsky.social joins to discuss how soccer’s biggest stage has grown to intersect with politics, money & global power; 🎧 NOW wherever you pod, YouTube or https://tinyurl.com/yfna9jh6
Simon Kuper
Profile Books
The role of bad guy used to be Germany’s. It’s up for grabs now
