The World Game: Soccer Circles the Globe

Thwaack ! Whummpp! Klangg!

From a park in the United States to a pitch in India, from the seaside in Nigeria to a stadium in Uruguay, there's one game that brings the world together. Whether you call it football, soccer, or any other name, it's the most popular sport on the planet.

Follow a fast-paced soccer game around the globe, moving to a new location with each turn of the page. The game includes early morning in Chicago, USA; a nighttime matchup in Shenzhen, China; an early evening game in Kochi, India; and a midafternoon match in Lagos, Nigeria. Journey through time zones and around the globe as kids everywhere use their feet to dribble, shoot, and score all the way through to the final goooooooooal!

Author John Coy and illustrator Phùng Nguyên Quang collaborated across an ocean (and multiple time zones!) to create this action-packed celebration of the power of sport to unite people worldwide!

Author: John Coy
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (R)
Published: 05/05/2026
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 11.20h x 9.40w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9798765667989
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 65
School Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 55
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2026
Booklist 04/01/2026

About the Author
Coy, John: - John Coy is the author of young adult novels, the 4 for 4 middle-grade series, and nonfiction and fiction picture books including Hoop Genius, Game Changer, Their Great Gift, Dads, If We Were Gone, and Where We Come From. He has received numerous awards for his work including a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, and the Burr/Warzalla Award for Distinguished Achievement in Children's Literature. John lives by the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.Quang, Phùng Nguyên: - Phùng Nguyên Quang is a children's book author and illustrator based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His work is inspired by the culture and traditions of Vietnam and South Asia.