Velká kniha mistrovství světa ve fotbale (2026)

Billions of people watch football, millions play it, thousands compete for the chance to play at the world tournament, a few hundred succeed, and only a chosen few lift the World Cup trophy. The history of this championship also reflects its era and humanity’s technological progress: the first matches were played with leather balls, while today’s polyurethane balls contain microchips that track every touch. Teams once travelled to the first World Cup by ocean liners for more than 20 days; today, they reach the tournament in a few hours. The nearly century-long history of the World Cup contains many mysteries. Did Benito Mussolini really threaten his own team with execution if it lost? How did the Brazilian team psychologist assess legendary players such as Pelé and Garrincha? Why was Maradona absent from the 1978 World Cup? What did Materazzi really say to provoke Zidane into a foul in 2006? Why could Messi, the best player of 2014, not play for an entire year? This book contains 420 of the most interesting stories from all 22 World Cups, accompanied by varied illustrations. It covers important events on and off the pitch, including reports, rumours, legends and myths, with selected highlights from every World Cup. The contents are in Czech.