Sixty Years of the World Cup

Brian Barwick

ISBN 10: 1836802854 / ISBN 13: 9781836802853

Published by Pitch Publishing Ltd, GB, 2026

About this Item

Sixty Years of the World Cup is a personal, nostalgic, fun and frank reflection on the author's six-decade association with football's biggest showpiece. Brian Barwick journeyed just five miles to his first World Cup match during the iconic 1966 tournament held in England, but later travelled the globe witnessing first-hand some of football's greatest and most controversial moments. As a major national TV sport producer and executive, he was also responsible for how the tournament was broadcast to tens of millions of viewers on the BBC and ITV. A stint as CEO of the FA brought him the unique experience of being personally associated with the triumphs and tribulations of trying to win the World Cup. During his 60-year relationship with football's greatest prize, he witnessed many of the tournament's most famous matches, most gifted players and coaches, and iconic and controversial moments, meeting colourful personalities, making programmes that broke TV audience records and even helping an operatic aria to become a worldwide smash-hit!

Seller Inventory # LU-9781836802853

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sixty Years of the World Cup
• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1836802854
• ISBN 13: 9781836802853
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Sixty Years of the World Cup is a personal, nostalgic, entertaining, and candid reflection on Brian Barwick’s six-decade association with football’s greatest tournament.

Barwick traveled just five miles to attend his first World Cup match during the iconic 1966 tournament in England. In the years that followed, he journeyed across the globe, witnessing firsthand some of football’s most memorable, dramatic, and controversial moments.

As a leading television sports producer and executive, he played a key role in bringing the World Cup to tens of millions of viewers through BBC and ITV broadcasts. Later, as CEO of the Football Association, he gained a unique perspective on the challenges, pressures, and aspirations involved in trying to win the sport’s most coveted prize.

Over the course of his 60-year relationship with the World Cup, Barwick encountered many of the tournament’s greatest players, coaches, matches, and defining moments. Along the way, he met colorful personalities, produced broadcasts that broke television audience records, and even helped an operatic aria become a global phenomenon.

Blending personal memoir with football history, Sixty Years of the World Cup offers a fascinating insider’s perspective on the people, stories, and events that have shaped the world’s most celebrated sporting competition.

About the Author

Brian Barwick OBE is well known in broadcasting and sport. He worked for BBC Sport for 18 years, was Match of the Day editor and lead editor on the BBC's coverage of World Cups, Olympic Games and Sports Personality of the Year awards. He left the BBC as its head of sport in 1997 and spent seven years at ITV. As chief executive of the FA, he worked with three England managers, opened the new Wembley Stadium and launched the Respect campaign.