"War minus the shooting": football during the Cold War

What happens when football becomes far more than a game? As the 2026 World Cup unfolds, this Long Read written by Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall revisits four matches played during the Cold War that turned the beautiful game into a battleground of ideology, identity and state power.

Today's feature originally appeared in the July 2026 issue of HistoryExtra magazine, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB.

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