The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace : Throughline World Cup tickets are going for as high as $45,000. Not in most of our budgets. How did things get so out of hand when the tournament's founder intended to bridge class divides? Today on the show, the origins of the World Cup, from World War I to Mussolini’s fascist Italy, and how it grew into the multibillion-dollar spectacle the world is gearing up to watch.

Guests:

Jonathan Wilson, columnist at The Guardian and author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Simon Kuper, columnist at the Financial Times and author of World Cup Fever

Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org

Throughline

The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace

This view shows the official FIFA ball, 'Trionda,' for the 2026 World Cup, presented for the first time in Mexico at the 'The Soul of the World Cup' pavilion in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on October 3, 2025. Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images/Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images/Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images

World Cup tickets are going for as high as $45,000. Not in most of our budgets. How did things get so out of hand when the tournament's founder intended to bridge class divides? Today on the show, the origins of the World Cup, from World War I to Mussolini’s fascist Italy, and how it grew into the multibillion-dollar spectacle the world is gearing up to watch.

Guests:

Jonathan Wilson, columnist at The Guardian and author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Simon Kuper, columnist at the Financial Times and author of World Cup Fever

Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org