We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event – Soccer's Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and the Passion That Unites Fans Worldwide

by Roger Bennett

From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller (RE)BORN IN THE USA and face of the wildly successful soccer media platform MEN IN BLAZERS, Roger Bennett, comes a joyous, big-hearted celebration of the World Cup from the 1970s onward, published in the ramp up to the 2026 tournament.

Every four years, millions of viewers all over the globe are united in the drama of the world’s biggest sporting event. Geopolitical turmoil, popular culture, clashes of custom and style all weave together on the pitch, making the World Cup about so much more than soccer. For fans, it is a series of triumphs, heartbreaks, and shocking twists of fate. For the players, single matches, single plays, single glorious moments can be life changing. In We are the World (Cup), Roger Bennett imbues his unmitigated love for and dedication to the game into a deeply researched and deeply personal distillation of every tournament he has experienced from the 1978 to 2022.

As founder of MEN IN BLAZERS, the largest independent soccer focused media company in North America, Roger has been at the front of the curve as the popularity of soccer has sky-rocketed in the United States. We are the World (Cup) offers an in-depth history of how a sport that was mocked and dismissed in the 70s and 80s has become so energized, and the role that he and MEN IN BLAZERS have played.

Beloved for his wit, humility, and unadulterated love of the game that the rest of the world calls “football” is a celebration of our global culture and the power of sport to unite us all.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Soccer, Audiobook, Memoir, History

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Sarah Mojica A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The World Cup is the best sports tournament ever and soccer is the most meaningful important sport in the world and anyone who disagrees is wrong.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a well written book in a very good format. Wit is amazing and laughed quite a bit throughout. Must read to get hyped for 2026 WC.

Best quote for funny factor and accuracy - "Berhalter was tactically suspect and had the charisma of Dunder Mifflin’s HR rep Toby Flenderson."

[Nick Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rog is a wordsmith who had me hooked within the first pages. Enjoyed getting a history lesson of past world cups in conjunction with Rog and his story.

[Carrie McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5!! Loved this book so much and so happy to have read it in conjunction with the 2026 WC. It was interesting to read about the history before my time, and I thought he did a wonderful job of describing what makes football so special across the world and why it means so much to so many.
The only reason not 5/5 is because I thought it was quite odd to talk about the rise of soccer in the USA without mentioning the significant role of the USWNT and their four World Cup wins.

[Zack Stavrou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a soccer book for the World Cup! What a way to make your way through and bring back up your own experiences of world cups. I really appreciated his take on how recent world cups have changed in the US. I am excited to see how this one changes US soccer in the future. This World Cup has really engaged many people that I think never gave soccer a second thought. I have personally had more conversations about soccer in the last month with people at work than I have in the last 5 years of working there. It has been amazing!

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great fun read! Any history of the World Cup is always a personal history and this one delivers best in describing the emotions of being an England fan during the 80s and 90s.

Sadly my least favorite part was actually the portions regarding the more recent world cups. Perhaps it is because I have my own memories to overlay on his experiences but I found his 2022 chapter to be by far the weakest.

But end of the day this book serves best as a personal sociology study of the growth of American soccer fandom since the early 90s. From expats huddling in dingy bars to the ubiquity of the Premier League is breathtaking to witness.

[Chris Allaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect culmination of excitement and history revolving around the World Cup. This book takes the saying “your life in terms of world cups” and hits the mark. Each chapter was split up between Roger Bennett’s life and the culmination of Men in Blazers to the success and failures of the USMNT all while telling the history of the specific World Cup of that time. Recommend for soccer fans new and old.

[Kaleb Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge MiB and Roger Bennett fan I know I’d enjoy this. Hopefully a lot of other people did too and read it as prior to this year’s World Cup. Nobody could ever talk soccer to an modern American audience better than Rog

[Zach Deardorff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so ready for the World Cup!!

This was a delightful read that was funny, dramatic, and hopeful. Which was to be expected from one of my favorite podcasters.

Courage! Go go USA!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always believe if your sports teams are the most painful parts of your existence, then you are doing pretty bloody well.

I'll read anything Roger Bennett writes. It was a joy last week to start my mornings listening to MIB World Cup podcasts, spend the afternoon and evenings watching the games, and then wind down at night reading about Rog's past World Cup experiences.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, sometimes funny, but not much content about how the sport is played. Not the ideal book for a newbie fan, but not a bad lead-up to the current World Cup.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Bennett's memoir via World Cup watching is very enjoyable for soccer fans... and feels like an extended episode of Men in Blazers.

[Jonathan Biles · Rating 5 out of 5]

double nostalgia for me with history of world cups but also a history of Men in Blazers

[Caleb Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and powerful explanation of how sports can be part of every aspect of life. I am a new soccer fan and I read in anticipation of the 2026 world cup

[Rick Umali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will make you laugh out loud, and also perhaps shed a tear. Roger Bennett's book is structured with a single chapter around each World Cup soccer (football) tournament that he's watched since he was a child. The early chapters are funny and rambunctious, full of hilarity and ridiculous single-minded tomfoolery. He is a reliably funny writer.

I enjoyed his hustle stories getting his fledgling media company off the ground. In the face of professional resistence, his indefatigable enthusiasm for soccer (football!) eventually won over the hearts and minds of all detractors. His first shows were shot in a closet because the studio didn't want to give him a real space, but he turned it into a resounding success story.

Most of all, I appreciated his ardent love for the game, and the feelings that it brings up. For him, soccer isn't about bashing opponents, but about embracing and loving your team, through thick and thin. And should your team get eliminated? Then embrace and love the competition. It's a beautiful game after all.

This was the perfect book to get ready for World Cup 2026!

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’m going to come up with the right words to explain the absolute joy and wonder this book has brought me (I mean, with the exception of being forced to relive the nightmare of the 2014 semi when Brazil were annihilated at home by Germany - I’m still not over that loss and have a physical reaction in my gut when I think about it).

The way Rog captures these moments elicit raw emotion and bestow a proper footballing education. I can’t tell you how many things I googled and went in rabbit holes on his because I had no idea the backstory or the extent of things. (Take for instance the reason that Landon was omitted from the US squad in 2014 was because he lacked match fitness post 4 months backpacking adventure in Cambodia. I dont think I ever heard the full story back then, but the media sure did have a heyday making it seem like Klinsman was a bigger villain than he actually might have been in that narrative.)

It was also incredible learning the stories from before I was World Cup wild, from someone who lives and breathes it. 1994 was the first WC on my radar, but I was young enough to not know the details, just the highlights of US’s hosting duties, the first round of US stars (clad in faux denim), and that my parents wouldn’t take me to a match but were kind enough to drive me by the stadium while on vacation in Orlando, swinging by a McDonalds to buy a logo’ed soccer ball water bottle. (Also a 1994 honorable mention of a connection I didn’t realize - did you know the OK Bronco Chase happened the same day as the WC Opening ceremony and match? Wild how time both compresses and extricates moments like that.)

All of this and not even to mention yet the telling of the Men In Blazers origin story. Total and absolute swoon. What a tale. What a team. What an absolute force to bring football to the forefront of the great American Tale. Thank you ROG!!!!

Basically, I’m enamored with this book. If you love football/soccer even a little bit, you’re going to love it.

[Evan Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tale of one man’s history of the World Cups from 1980 on. The perfect read right before this World Cup starts!!!

[Leonardo Sette-Camara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A love letter to football and life. Of all the many hilarious and memorable quotes, this deeply heartfelt statement will probably stick with me forever.

“…and it was so healing to experience noble English joy that as I sat at the bar, even in defeat, my eleven-year-old self, my fifteen-year-old self, and nineteen-year-old self were watching along side me….In life, it is impossible to shed the sense of where you come from, and football has a great power to remind you of that by enabling your deepest memories to well up and overwhelm you even when you think they lie dormant. "

[Meghan Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Rog writes and tells stories. He is a born storyteller. Finding the Men in Blazers in the early 2010s was one of the greatest gifts of my life. Soccer is a story of human triumph and despair, and no one does a better job of capturing that ethos than the MiB team. I love how Rog weaved his personal memories of past World Cups with the actual game action. And his historical anecdotes brought back so many personal memories for me too, of where I was, who I was watching with, and the feelings of joy and heartbreak. I hope that he brings us a similar version in the future, but instead focused on the women's game. I'll keep coming back for more always.

[Liam Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genuine self portrait of a man that loves a game that brings so many together. Vulnerable, honest, hopeful, all the good words you can use.

Laughed, cried, remembered my own experiences with friends and family of the World Cup moments recounted.

Will be recommending to everyone I talk with between now and the start of the World Cup.

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immensely likable primer for the semi-casual fan. Having read another of Bennet’s book I sorta knew what I was in for. This is part memoir married to a history lesson of each Cup from 1978-2022. A great refresher ahead of the North American World Cup this summer. 👍

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The tournament is both a history of moments and shared text that creates the deepest connection to our own invidivudal pasts or biogrtaphy of our childhood years, teenaged years, and beyond"

~Roger Bennett, "We are the World (Cup): A Personal HIstory of the World's Greatest Sporting Event - Soccer's Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and the Passion that Unites Fans Worldwide

Eric Church's biggest hit, "Springsteen," is built around the idea that melodies can transport us back to moments from our past. As a sports-obsessed kid who grew into a sports-obsessed adult, sports memories work the same way for me.

Whenever I see the year 1996, it carries a positive aura because it reminds me of watching my Gator heroes win their first national championship. The same is true of 2006 and the transformational experience of camping out and witnessing firsthand from the front row the meteoric rise of that Florida basketball team. And then there is 2021, when Teddy and Scarlett fell in love with baseball while we watched the Braves make their improbable World Series run. Those years and countless others tucked away in the deep recesses of my mind are inseparable from the sports that accompanied them.

That same idea serves as the foundation of Roger Bennett's We Are the World (Cup), a follow-up to his autobiographical Re(Born) in the USA. A brief disclaimer for the uninitiated: Bennett is the driving force behind Men in Blazers, one of the premier soccer media networks in the United States. When I began following the Premier League nearly a decade ago, his infectious energy, wit, and gift for creating human connections through sport immediately drew me in. Along with several other influences during that period of my life and early fatherhood, Bennett helped shape me into a better fan and, in many ways, a better person.

The book itself employs a fascinating structure. Bennett uses each World Cup as both a historical touchpoint and a marker in his own life story. As a fellow sports-obsessed kid, I found that approach deeply relatable. I enjoyed getting a glimpse behind the curtain of his personal journey and seeing how soccer provided color, meaning, and context along the way. I also appreciated learning more about the challenges of building soccer coverage in America and seeing how those efforts helped contribute to the sport's growth in this country. As someone who came to soccer later than many lifelong fans, I especially valued the way Bennett filled in gaps in my understanding of earlier tournaments and their significant moments.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and believe it will resonate with many former sports-obsessed kids, it can feel somewhat insular for readers who are unfamiliar with soccer or the Men in Blazers universe. That said, Bennett's greatest strength has never been simply talking about soccer. It is using soccer as a vehicle to tell stories about people, relationships, and the memories we create together.

One passage near the end of the book perfectly captures that idea:

"I raised my beer and toasted my son with the silent wish that, as fans, we should find a way to savor each and every minute of football and life, and never waste a single opportunity for memory-making together."

That sentiment has become one of Bennett's central tenets and one that I have tried to adopt in my own life.

So here's to raising a glass, enjoying another great World Cup together, and making memories at the many events that still lie ahead on our calendars.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a dedicated fan of the "Men in Blazers" since I first discovered them in 2014. I came to know Rog and Dave-O as they launched a flurry of podcast episodes about the World Cup that took place in Brazil that summer. Their love of the beautiful game, knowledgeable insights, and hilarious takes on every imaginable aspect of the World Cup captivated me and helped me enjoy that year's tournament more than ever before. Also, their passion for bringing together and building a community of soccer-loving Americans was contagious; when listening to their podcast, I felt like I was joining an exciting club and movement that was speeding ahead with adrenaline and momentum. Over the subsequent 12 years, I have listened to hours and hours of podcast episodes from the MiB media network, primarily the original podcast, but also newer shows (Vamos, The Women's Game, etc.). With their detailed explanations and careful guidance, I was introduced to the Premier League, came to understand the logistics of the league (and the whole English football pyramid), learned about each of the teams (as well as many managers and players), and, eventually, became a passionate fan of English soccer. All of this is to say that I am a huge fan of MiB and owe them much for the joy they have brought me over the past 12 years. I previously read the two MiB books ("Encyclopedia Blazertannica" and "Gods of Soccer") and Rog's previous book "(Re)Born in the USA", so I was very excited to learn about this new book. I also strongly believe that the World Cup is the greatest sporting event in the world, so was excited to read about Rog's personal experiences with this incredible tournament. And the book did not disappoint! Hearing about how Rog experienced this once-every-four-years month of excitement helped me remember where I was for each tournament and how I enjoyed watching the games (at least since 1998 onward). It was so fun to read the summaries of each tournament, remember the key storylines and exhilarating moments, and relive the final games where the tournament champions were forever immortalized. An additional joy of this book was hearing Rog's perspective about how the MiB media network first started and then, over the subsequent years, grew and grew and grew until it became the massive success that it is today. And, just like when I listened to those first podcast episodes way back in 2014, I still find Rog's perspective, sense of humor, and absolute love of the game to be inspiring and beautiful. So, thanks MiB and, especially, Rog for promoting and encouraging the love of soccer in our great country and for bringing so much joy to so many fans like me through our collective shared experiences with this beautiful game.

[Garrett Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger Bennett could publish schizophrenic ramblings about the weather, and I would call it a masterpiece; however, there is just something about this specific book that has convinced me that he is the greatest English-speaking writer the soccer (football) world has ever seen. My friends and family know that soccer shapes the way I view the world. It is the only reason why I know that half of the countries on Earth exist, because they may one day be an opponent I need to know everything about. Roger, though, has encapsulated a feeling that I could never really put into words by describing the way that, for people like us, life is measured by the passage of time between World Cups. This book is ultimately many things in one. It is one man's memoir about his experience watching the World Cups of his lifetime, how they affected him, and where he was in life at that given moment. But it is also the story of how one man felt so much love for that simple game of soccer that he felt it was his own personal mission to share that love with the American people. For me, that was one of the most intriguing and enlightening parts of this book because without Roger, I am not sure I would love this sport in the same way. It is fascinating that it was such an uphill battle to make the world's "most powerful" country fall in love with the world's most popular game. I am eternally grateful for the work that he did. In reality, however, the part of this book that truly captivated me was how it helped me relive my own memory of the World Cups of my lifetime by reading through someone else's memory. The chapter about South Africa 2010 reminded me of the countless summer days I spent in front of the living room TV with my younger brother, trying to recreate the World Cup itself on the 2010 FIFA World Cup video game. The Brazil 2014 chapter put me back in the backseat of my dad's orange Chevy Avalanche, listening to the heartbreaking US loss to Belgium on the radio. Nevertheless, I went to high school soccer practices that fall yelling Tim Howard's name every time I made a mediocre save. The 2018 chapter reminded me of how the US crashing out in qualifying led to my personal, unintentional boycott of the entire World Cup. The final chapter put me back into the backroom of the TJ Maxx in Kochville, Michigan, where I sneakily watched the US games on my phone while hanging that day's shipment of clothes. That all came to an end when I celebrated a little bit too loudly when Messi finally won his World Cup and got written up by my manager. In all, this book's real value is in this. It's a wonderful way to help you relive your own memories of the world's biggest event.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

For both soccer-obsessed and soccer-curious alike, Roger Bennett gives us something that both caters to a specific audience while opening a door for those who want to peer in. WATW(C) follows through on that old saying that you can measure your life in Cups, telling the story of his own by recounting each tournament since 1978. A bit of myth-making, sure, and focusing more on professional than personal growth, but that's really want we want in all this. After all, you can't blame him for revealing in detail how much money he brought in when he was struggling, only to find no such references once you hit the chapters after he became successful.

The Cup punctuates phases of my own life, but in 2022 my fandom hit new levels. I was living overseas, far from family and friends, and plotting to return home. I discovered Men in Blazers then and listened to he entirety of their output during the Cup, and since, and it both deepened my love of the game, and only hastened my return. So, I was already prone to appreciate anything Bennett does.

Bennett retells stories of consequential matches in vivid detail that are as tangible as a highlight reel. He also goes into the political and diplomatic strife surrounding certain Cups, while Fox and other broadcasters would tell you to look away. His point is that, for him and millions of others, you can't separate football from the realities of the world and life itself. Football is life, and he defends that argument.

This breezy read is perfectly in line with Bennett's own life's mission - to bring an understanding of the game and develop a thriving soccer culture in America. Anyone for him that is appealing should pick this up.

[Abigayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime fan of Men in Blazers and football, generally… especially my beloved Liverpool (including a tattoo to prove it!), I was very excited to read this book. I was thrilled that it did not disappoint in the slightest.

I thought Roger Bennett did well to truly encapsulate the epic highs and lows of being a footy fanatic and how the World Cup connects us to our humanity through passionately witnessing and experiencing with our players, both the miracles and tragedies which unfold in those 90 minutes on the pitch.

Though I’m fairly well-versed on World Cups which came before me, reading them as stories through Bennett’s personal lens was a delightful way to revisit my own knowledge of the sport I love most.

Further, and perhaps most importantly, I adored the way Roger described and narrativized the way America viewed and treated “soccer” in the late 20th century and its slow crawl to greater cultural prominence. Being born after the American vitriol for the sport began to subside, I was both saddened about how hard it was for soccer to break into the American mainstream and thrilled for all the progress that has been made in bringing the beautiful game closer to the forefront of American sports… It also made me extremely grateful for the ability to access televised coverage of all the football I desire in the states.

Overall, I found this book extremely entertaining, moving, and consider it a must-read for American football fans and non-football fans alike ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was a disappointment for me. I have listened to the Men in Blazers podcast on-and-off over the past few years, and never really warmed to the hosts— mostly, I just liked that they put out regular, high quality soccer content. That really should’ve been enough for me to know that I wasn’t going to like this book, but I don’t think I realized how much this would be a memoir. I was under the impression, for reasons that are entirely my fault, that this would be more factual detail about the World Cups.

Now, to be fair, there was detail about the tournaments broad sweeps, and some play breakdown from key moments in the tournament. And there were good paragraphs of context that helped me understand things about past World Cups (particularly those before 1998) that I did enjoy learning.

But that’s the issue— I enjoyed those moments so much more than the personal tidbits and stories that littered the rest of the pages. Again, that’s not the book’s fault— it’s mine.

However, speaking of the personal tidbits, I did find some of them just completely appalling. For example, Roger saying that for the first 2 weeks of his first born child’s life he could ‘barely look at him or change his diaper’ because he looked like Steven Gerard? I’m sorry, but that is a story I would’ve taken with me to my grave. In fact, the way he speaks about his wife in general is really unflattering and I didn’t like it at all. I also don’t like toilet humor in general, so some of the stories were just gross to me.

[Bruddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than watching my daughters play soccer when they were growing up, my exposure to the sport has been limited. I faintly recall the brief commotion surrounding the New York Comos in the 1970s when Pele played for them, but it wasn't until the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994 that I actually watched a full soccer game on television. Ever since, I've tuned into the World Cup every four years and by the final game have come to feel somewhat passionate about the outcome. This experience helped me connect with Roger Bennett's book, which is part memoir/part world cup commentary. Bennett divides his book chronologically into chapters beginning in 1978 with the first World Cup he recalls watching as a young boy in England, and covering each subsequent World Cup until 2022. Besides offering insightful commentary on each Cup, Bennett also describes his emigration to the United States and the years long process that began in his success as the founder of Men in Blazers a highly popular soccer media platform. I think his personal anecdotes help to explain why people become so incredibly passionate about their soccer teams and clubs. We Are the World (Cup) particularly shows how soccer has grown from humble beginnings in the United States to a sport ever growing in popularity with a significant fan base. Besides being entertaining and insightful it seemed a particularly good time to learn a little more about the World Cup as it presently plays out across North America.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coastline Library | In dire need of more editing, made me like football less | Bennett is heavily prone to repeating himself, over-using set phrases, and using the same adjective multiple times in a single paragraph, and those fundamental writing issues are constant here. This is just a single example to make the point, there are so many of these sorts of repetitions throughout the book: page 48 "spite and revenge are the rocket fuel of motivations", page 63 " pettiness and spite are two of the greatest human motivators", page 256 "spite is the rocket fuel of human motivation". Et cetera. So that's the writing quality problem, but the bigger concern is that he's made me less interested in football. The book presents the game as dirty, corrupt, rife with bad calls, full of egomaniacs, and surrounded by bad people who don't even like the game. I'm a hockey and rugby fan who has been coming around to football over the past six years, but this book has pushed me away again. My library bought it on my recommendation, so I came into it expecting good things, but in the end the good news is that I don't have to wrestle with my conscience over watching the World Cup hosted by my country under this terrible government and run by the money laundering organization known as FIFA, because I'm no longer interested. Third star because if what you want is an overview of 50 years of the tournament, you do get it here.

[Charlie Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 - This might be a book that I reread before every World Cup. It’s one of the better soccer books I’ve ever read, and definitely one of the best written. Given the structure of this book, it might be difficult to read long portions in one sitting, but I found that 2 chapters/day was a good pace to keep me engaged. Rog does well to capture the emotional, cultural, and sporting immensity of the tournament. He shares his “where were you when…” moments that the World Cup tends to create. I appreciated reading the World Cup stories I didn’t get to experience, as well as reliving the ones that I did. As he recounted his experiences, I also envisioned the moments and where I was when I watched them. I learned of Argentina’s collapse and redemption vs the Netherlands while walking out of an exam. I walked out of the room during Messi’s final penalty because I just couldn’t bear to watch. I was at a tryout when news of Dempseys goal vs Ghana made its way around the field. I was griped at by my roommate for celebrating too loud for Pulisics goal vs Iran. So many good memories, and this book brings them all back, as well as introducing these moments from Rog’s perspective. The writing is simultaneously lighthearted and funny, but also quite emotional. This book captures the emotion of a World Cup super well.

The last few pages and afterword are special, and I’ll definitely read them multiple times before and during this World Cup.