"Kuper is the godfather of taking the anthropological angle on the sport. In World Cup Fever, he returns to his roots by retracing his steps through nine World Cups as he gets ready to cover his tenth. It makes for a transporting trip through the tournament’s modern history. It doubles as a quick and light primer to World Cup history, offered by a clever writer who works hard to keep his prose enviously clear."

– Leander Schaerlaeckens

"A historical, sociological, and political examination of the Cup’s enduring yet shifting significance since it was first held in 1930. Kuper’s passion for the World Cup is neither treacly nor fanatical. [Kuper] weaves personal, often amusing stories in with commentary on the evolution of FIFA and the game of soccer."

– The New Republic

"I don't think we could ask for a more knowledgeable guest to help us understand the origins of the World Cup and why it continues to have such a strange and fascinating hold on us. An extraordinary work of nonfiction; it's personal, global. If you like football as much as I do, you'll love this book. Brilliant."

– John Green, The Away End Podcast

"World Cup Fever is an absorbing companion to the forthcoming tournament—a lens through which to see what lies beyond the scoreboard. And for those who approach the game as culture, as politics, as ritual, this book provides not a final answer but an invitation: to watch, to think, and above all to feel what it means to be caught up in the feverish, beautiful, maddening spectacle of soccer’s greatest stage."

– Los Angeles Review of Books

"Highly engaging. Kuper, as a man who has lived in many different countries, writes well about the cultures and foibles of soccer teams and their fans. A journalist for the Financial Times, he is one of the best sportswriters in the English language today. But he does more than analyze the skills of different squads and players (though he does this superbly); he uses his expertise to explain cultural differences, too."

– The New Yorker

"This stellar work of sports journalism goes beyond the action on the pitch. Kuper’s appreciation for soccer and his skill as a journalist shine through in this fascinating look into an athletic championship that has become a global phenomenon."

– Booklist

"This unique blend of reportage and memoir documents the impact and history of the FIFA World Cup. Kuper blends scrupulous reportage with evocative reflections. Soccer fans will be enthralled."

– Publishers Weekly

“A series of wise, wry and revealing reflections on football's greatest tournament and what it tells us about the world. Football Against the Enemy was one the three books that effectively invented modern football writing, and Kuper continues to lead the genre.”

– Jonathan Wilson, author of Inverting the Pyramid

“A delightful memoir, travelogue, and journal, World Cup Fever is a wry and sharp-eyed account of the world's now biggest public ritual. A brilliant evocation of the joy of the football carnival and the absurdities of the global spectacle, it remains alert to the game's ever closer pact with money and power. It is an essential companion to the tournament, for it allows us to look at the sun and not be blinded.”

– David Goldblatt, author of The Ball is Round