The Game at the End of the World: Villainous Referees, Communist Bakers, the Secret Women's World Cup, and a Goalkeeper's Last Stand

by Juan Villoro

Playful, thoughtful, and evergreen, The Game at the End of the World reaches toward the touchstones of civilization while staying rooted in a sport that has no borders or boundaries.

Soccer fans will rejoice at this all-new volume of crackling, timely essays from the author of God Is Tackling the Giants, Villains, Triumphs, and Scandals of the World’s Favorite Game. Juan Villoro explores the ancient origins, god-like star players, exhilarating highlights, and diehard devotees of a sport whose significance extends well beyond scoring goals. More than a game, soccer is a form of connection. More than physicality, it values strategy, creativity, and mental fortitude. It is a sport without an ideal athlete, where the passion of crowds is crucial.

As a prolific writer and frequent attendee of World Cup games around the world, Juan Villoro draws on his own long memory and rich understanding of soccer's cultural history to inspire readers, players, and fans long after the final whistle blows. With a journalist's quick-hitting pen and a philosopher's expansive outlook, he has produced a collection for curious newcomers and lifelong football buffs alike.

Genres: Soccer, Sports

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2026

About the author

Juan Villoro is Mexico's preeminent novelist. Born in Mexico City in 1956, he is the author of half a dozen prize-winning novels and is also a journalist. In 2004, he received the Herralde Prize for his novel El testigo (The Witness).

Reviews

[Lex]

This was so fun! I love football! I love the World Cup! I love Mexico!!!

[Heather]

I was inclined to pick this book up at a Brooklyn bookshop the day after the World Cup Final and the highs of the tournament. In the end I probably couldn't tell you what this book is about: short essays that dive into the philosophy and poetry of football. Part of the reason I picked up the booked is because there was specifically a chapter on the 1971 unofficial women's world cup. Whilst that chapter was bad, I became disappointed that women's football was not mentioned more often. The book delved into so many small chapters, stories and teams in football - so why not include more stories of women footabllers in the eclectic mix of essays.

[Nate Krackeler]

Some good and some bad here:

Good: the language and the translation, the fact that the word soccer is not unnecessarily forced on the American English edition

Great research, great representation of famous moments and scenes

Lots of stuff about the Mexican game that I didn’t know

The story about time is class

Bad:

Some of the stories are extremely generic and overplayed

A weird handling of women’s football that is usually good, informative, and inspirational but is weirdly patronizing at moments

[Μίλτος Τρ.]

Μια πιο ποιητική αντιμετώπιση του ποδοσφαίρου. Αν ήταν λιγότερο "Μεξικανοκεντρικό" θα ήταν καλύτερο.

[Matthew Brenner]

Decent book, some interesting essays on the current & past state of football.