CBC Books and author Dave Bidini have curated a list of essential soccer literature to prepare fans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. these recommendations span various genres,from historical accounts of wartime surival to personal memoirs on race and gender.

The June 11 kickoff in Canada, Mexico, and the US

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, represents a massive cultural convergence as it is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. According to CBC Books, the goal of partnering with Dave Bidini—a musician from the band Rheostatics and author of The Best Game You Can Name—is to provide fans with a deeper understanding of the sport's humanity before the tournament begins.

This initiative reflects a broader trend in sports consumption where fans seek intellectual and emotional depth beyond the statistics of the game. By framing the tournament through literature,the curators are positioning soccer not just as a professional competition, but as a mirror of global history and personal struggle.

Survival and sport in Andy Dougan's account of WWII Kyiv

One of the most harrowing recommendations is Andy Dougan's Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kyiv. As reported by CBC Books, this work details a WWII-era struggle where imprisoned and starving Ukrainian Dynamo plyaers were forced to play a match against German forces, with their very survival tied to the outcome of the game.

This narrative echoes the long history of soccer serving as a tool of both oppression and defiance . In the context of current global tensions, the story of the Dynamo players serves as a reminder of how the "beautiful game" has historically intersected with geopolitical conflict and the fight for national identity.

From Melbourne 2008 to the UN Women ambassadorship

The curated list also emphasizes the sport's power to uplift marginalized communities. Dave Bidini highlights Kicking It by Mark Bryson and others, which chronicles the journey of Homeless Team Canada to the 2008 Homeless World Cup in Melbourne. This focus on the intersection of athletics and social welfare underscores the role of soccer in providing dignity to those on the fringes of society.

Similarly, the inclusion of Eniola Aluko's memoir, They Don't Teach This: Lessons From the Game of Life, expands the conversation to gender and race. Aluko, who played for both Nigeria and Great Britain and now serves as a UN Women ambassador, uses her professional career to address systemic barriers. Her perspective provides a necessary lens on the institutional challenges facing women in a sport that has historically been dominated by men.

The missing voices in Dave Bidini's curated list

While the selection covers a wide emotional range—including the obsessive fandom found in Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and the poetic reflections of Eduardo Galeano's Soccer in Sun and Shadow—certain perspectives remain absent. The list is primarily a reflection of Dave Bidini's personal tastes and professional connections, leaving it unclear if other essential voices from the co-hosting nations of Mexico and the United States were considered.

Furthermore , it remains to be seen if CBC Books intends to expand this literary project into a broader series. Given that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be one of the largest in history, there is a significant opportunity to include more diverse perspectives from across the three host continents that were not captured in this initial five-to-six book selection.