“In urban centers and tiny villages, amid plains, deserts, forests, rainforests, coastal areas and any other habitat on our spinning sphere, football found a formidable foothold. ‘Is there any cultural practice more global than football?’ author David Goldblatt asks at the outset of The Ball Is Round: The Global History of Soccer. Well, is there? Birth, death, taxes—all are imbued with what we might call universality, but as Goldblatt points out, differing rituals greet these occasions from place to place. Though styles of play can vary based on culture, history, innovation, daring, success and failure, commonality lies in the rules and rudiments of the game, which are uniform across six of seven continents. …”
Aramco World
Aramco World: 2026 Calendar PDF