We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event

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.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Mai H.]

Non-fiction November TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dey Street Books

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a ARC from Net Galley. This was the right book to read at the right time for me. I had just completed reading two books that highlighted dark times (Russia’s “lost generation” to Putinism and Argentina’s disappeared youth) that oddly felt like current events. However, this book is part narrative and biography that gets me excited for this summer and the World Cup coming to America.

Roger does an amazing job connecting the pride, passion, agony, heartbreak of soccer and the periods of time when the World Cup occurred. I appreciated how he highlighted the US team’s journey but also of England, Argentina, France, and other teams. It was great to go down memory lane.

I have been a follower of Men in Blazers for a while — attended a few live shows, listened to the podcast, etc. This book felt like an intimate look back at not only Rog’s journey but the journey we all have been on with US Soccer. As he recounted each Tournament, I felt myself going back to reflect on where I was and what I was doing when the games occurred.

I think this book will appeal to both avid sports fan and casual fans as we prepare for this summer’s tournament. Thank you to Rog for writing it and allowing us to US soccer fans to dream about a deep run in the World Cup.

[John Schorg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me, but since Roger Bennett became a leading voice on soccer in this country, he has become more of a cheerleader, rather than the reliable pundit of years gone by who was willing to toss a few jabs. This is a tame look at World Cup history, filtered through the author's life. There's nothing much wrong here, but nothing that would make you go back and read it again.

[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. 👍