ABSTRACT
Soccer, the most popular mass spectator sport in the world, is a game where humanity comes alive with one goal. Globally soccer has long been a site which articulates the complexities and diversities of the everyday life of the nation. In this context, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup remains the grand spectacle for asserting the identity of the nation. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the significance of FIFA World Cups for nations in terms of hosting, performance, playing style, and identity formation. It looks beyond the World Cup to highlight the growing importance of a host of perspectives in sport in general and football in particular. These include art, fandom, gender, media, and governance. The book begins with Mike O'Mahony's nuanced attempt to explore the relational complexities among sport, art and society.
