FIFA World Cups: 1930–2026

Five World Cups, iconic footballers and coaches, unexpected details, and exclusive stories from Nikita Simonyan, Anatoly Byshovets, and Stanislav Cherchesov. Georgy Cherdantsev created a book in which the past of football becomes alive and tangible on every page. For everyone who loves the game and wants to see it from the inside.

Georgy Cherdantsev is one of the most well-known Russian football commentators and television hosts, the author of books and publications, and a recipient of numerous professional awards. In 2019, he received a commendation from the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation “For services in the field of physical culture and sports.” Throughout his career, Georgy Vladimirovich Cherdantsev has covered and commented on matches from five World Cups.

The chronicle of one of the most anticipated and popular international tournaments is approaching the century mark. The time span may seem short, but it is more than enough for a sport that again and again turns every World Cup into a celebration for millions of fans around the world. This book tells not only what happened around the World Championships, but above all about the people who became symbols of football. Pelé and Maradona, Puskás and Fonten, Yashin and Netto, Zidane and Beckham, and many other heroes from different eras appear in the author’s view. The edition also includes astonishing—sometimes funny and curious, and sometimes tragic—first-person stories told by legends of Soviet football: Nikita Simonyan and Valery Nepomniachtchi, Anatoly Byshovets and Vladimir Ponomaryov. The outstanding coach Stanislav Cherchesov describes the preparation of the Russian national team and which decisions helped achieve a notable result at the 2018 World Cup. Georgy Cherdantsev’s book works like a time machine: it carries you across decades, makes you relive, rejoice, and grieve—and stays in memory for a long time.