Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches

by Tony Shaw, Alan Mcdougall

A gargantuan battle for hearts and minds, the Cold War is the supreme example of a 'people's war'. But what did the 'people's game' have to do with it? From Dynamo Moscow's stormy tour of Britain in 1945 to the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991, Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall chart the clash between capitalism and communism in ten iconic football matches. They take us across Europe, Asia, South America and Africa to uncover football's part in bolstering democracies and dictatorships and in the struggle for influence in the developing world. They show how these matches offered a rare opportunity to see what life was like on 'the other side' of the Iron Curtain, making friends of enemies but also fuelling revolution. Featuring legendary players, goals and on- and off-field controversies, this is a fascinating history of how the Cold War shaped football and how football shaped the Cold War.

Genres: Sports, History

284 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2026

Reviews

[Μίλτος Τρ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Συνεχίζοντας το διάβασμα παράλληλα με το Μουντιάλ, εδώ ένα υπέροχο βιβλίο που αποδεικνύει το προφανές: το ποδόσφαιρο ήταν πάντα περισσότερο από ένα άθλημα. Εδώ γραμμένες με υπέροχο τρόπο (χωρίς εκπτώσεις σε πολιτικό και ποδοσφαιρικό background) δέκα ματς ποδοσφαίρου αντιπροσωπευτικά του Ψυχρού Πολέμου. Διασκεδαστικό βιβλίο.