Tony Shaw is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Hertfordshire. His books include Eden, Suez and the Mass Media (1996), Cinematic Cold War: The American and Soviet Struggle for Hearts and Minds (2010) and Hollywood and Israel: A History (2022). Alan McDougall is Professor of History at the University of Guelph. His books include The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany (2014), Contested Fields: A Global History of Modern Football (2020) and Dreams and Songs to Sing: A People's History of Liverpool FC from Shankly to Klopp (2025).

• Introduction; 1. The fog of war: Arsenal vs. Dynamo Moscow, London, November 1945; 2. A miracle and a revolution: West Germany vs. Hungary, Bern, July 1954; 3. Football beats god: Ireland vs. Yugoslavia, Dublin, October 1955; 4. Settling old scores: Spain vs. Soviet Union, Madrid, June 1964; 5. Eusébio and the 'mystery men of the East': North Korea vs. Portugal, Liverpool, July 1966; 6. The game of shame: Chile vs. Soviet Union, Santiago, November 1973; 7. Us against us, or us against them? West Germany vs. East Germany, Hamburg, June 1974; 8. Leopards on trial: Zaire vs. Yugoslavia, Gelsenkirchen, June 1974; 9. 'A crazy day, a show of power': Steaua Bucharest vs. Dinamo Bucharest, Bucharest, June 1988; 10. A new era: China vs. Norway, Guangzhou, November 1991; Epilogue; Notes; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Works cited; Index.

'Cold War Football is a milestone in political football literature. Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall condense the historical complexity with the help of ten matches. It is precise, eye-opening and entertaining. And the best proof that history can be taught particularly well through football.' Ronny Blaschke, author of Football and Racism: How Colonialism Shaped the Modern Game