The Game at the End of the World: Villainous Referees, Communist Bakers, the Secret Women's World Cup, and a Goalkeeper's Last Stand

by Juan Villoro, Francisco Cantú (Translator)

Exuberant, playful, and evergreen, The Game at the End of the World revels in the grass-stained highlights of a sport without borders or boundaries.

Soccer (née football) fans will rejoice at this all-new volume of crackling essays from the author of God Is Round. Here, Juan Villoro explores the sport through the elements that make it the world's favorite pastime, from its ancient origins, near-mythic players, exhilarating matches, endemic rivalries, and the unlikely moments in which football has changed history.

As a prolific writer and chronicler of World Cup games around the world, Villoro draws on a rich cultural mosaic to inspire readers, players, and fans long after the final whistle blows. With a journalist's ear and a philosopher's outlook, he has produced a collection for curious newcomers and lifelong football buffs alike.

Genres: Soccer, Sports

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Juan Villoro is Mexico's preeminent novelist. Born in Mexico City in 1956, he is the author of half a dozen prize-winning novels and is also a journalist. In 2004, he received the Herralde Prize for his novel El testigo (The Witness).

Reviews

[Lex]

This was so fun! I love football! I love the World Cup! I love Mexico!!!

[Heather]

I was inclined to pick this book up at a Brooklyn bookshop the day after the World Cup Final and the highs of the tournament. In the end I probably couldn't tell you what this book is about: short essays that dive into the philosophy and poetry of football. Part of the reason I picked up the booked is because there was specifically a chapter on the 1971 unofficial women's world cup. Whilst that chapter was bad, I became disappointed that women's football was not mentioned more often. The book delved into so many small chapters, stories and teams in football - so why not include more stories of women footabllers in the eclectic mix of essays.

[Nate Krackeler]

Some good and some bad here:

Good: the language and the translation, the fact that the word soccer is not unnecessarily forced on the American English edition

Great research, great representation of famous moments and scenes

Lots of stuff about the Mexican game that I didn’t know

The story about time is class

Bad:

Some of the stories are extremely generic and overplayed

A weird handling of women’s football that is usually good, informative, and inspirational but is weirdly patronizing at moments

[Μίλτος Τρ.]

Μια πιο ποιητική αντιμετώπιση του ποδοσφαίρου. Αν ήταν λιγότερο "Μεξικανοκεντρικό" θα ήταν καλύτερο.

[Matthew Brenner]

Decent book, some interesting essays on the current & past state of football.