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

from HistoryExtra Long Reads · host History Extra

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 12, 2026

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

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