Teaching History with the World Cup

Reflections from Pretoria, South-Africa

Stories, lives, educational resources

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Hamburg, Landungsbrücken (Photo: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Stories

The Gateway to the World

Hamburg is a city with a long history of prosperity and darkness, and HSV is weaved throughout.

Standing are Marrigje Rikken,Anja Schouten, Jurryt van de Voorden. Sitting are Nel Rentenaar and Ineke Boom.

Stories

Alkmaar 1961

Let’s go back to 11 June 1961. At this tournament, three women - Nel Rentenaar, Ineke Boom and Klazien Laan - refereed official football matches.

Norway’s national team poses as Vikings ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Photo: David Yarrow (The Athletic / Norwegian Football Federation).

Stories

Of all these peoples, the Belgians are the strongest

A reflection on Football, Mythology and National Identity at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FMH SOCIAL MEDIA

Feeding your feed with football.

Stories that score

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Paolo Maldini, AC Milan 1996/97 (Source: UEFA Champions League, #FlashbackFriday Tweet. May 19, 2017).

Fergus Suter played for Darwen and Blackburn Rovers from 1878 to 1889.

Stories

Teaching History with the World Cup

Teaching pre-service history teachers via the FIFA World Cup football 2026, reflections from Pretoria, South-Africa.

Lives

Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini’s career seems too good to be true, stylish on and off the field, his life has never been touched by failure or scandal.

Lives

Fergus Suter

Fergus Sutter was one of the first (semi)professional footballers, playing against aristocratic players. A story of origins.

FC Town and its 8 key practices (illustrated by Els Thijsse).

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Gameplan

Toolkit for Football Club Heritage Work

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Quote of the week

What I know most surely in the long run about morality and obligations, I owe to football

Albert Camus, 1957.

Must watch videos

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David Goldblatt in his apartment in Bristol (Photo: FMH).

Playing

Football: A People’s History of Europe?

Playing

Football: A People’s History of Europe?

The Mad Grandma (Photo: COPA90 Stories).

Playing

The Mad Grandma: Botafogo’s 83-year-old superfan

Playing

The Climb to Equality

David Goldblatt in his studio in Bristol.

Playing

Why Teach Football History?

Picture of Zbigniew Wilk at Silesian Freedom and Solidarity Center.

Playing

A Footballer Against the System

Playing

The Most Dangerous Game of Football: Calcio Storico

Still from the Documentary (Photo: Stefano Di Pietro).

Playing

Children of the Field

Playing

The amazing story of Sierra Leone’s Amputee Team

Playing

The Right to Play

Playing

FC Union Berlin: A rebellious football club in a rebellious city

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Toolkit

Inspiring Collaborations between schools and football

toolkit

Diversity & discrimination

Thematic tips

A group of soccer players standing around a man on the ground (Photo: Luis Quintero on Unsplash).

Stories

Football Injury Crisis: Why are Players Getting Injured so Often?

How did the players of the game become medical dossiers in addition to athletes, going from one injury to the next?

The project STS presented at EXPO 2025 in Osaka on 23.09.2025.

Personal insights on Sport and Inclusion in Slovenia: a journalistic SWOT analysis

Slovenia offers high potential to test good practices

The World Cup 1990 Colombia vs UAE in Bologna.

The World Cup as a Mirror of History: A Conversation with Simon Kuper

The World Cup is a kind of religious feast that includes the whole world

Photo of Bukayo Saka, player mentioned in article (Photo: Hengheng 77).

Football’s responsibility for education

I have seen and heard people make monkey sounds when a black player scores a goal

Jakub Jankto

Beyond intentions

TOP READER RATING SCORES

Natalie Portman, one of the founders of Angel City FC.

Angel City FC: An in-vitro football sensation

100+ life stories (FMH Photo collage). Credits: Ebru Köksal; John Blankenstein (Photo: Bart Molendijk / Dutch National Archives); Otto “Tull” Harder (Photo: Dutch National Archive); Petra Landers (Photo: Heinz Reinders / Wikimedia Commons).

Learning history in 100 football life stories

Local, revolutionary and social

Life Stories

Football Makes History gathers life stories of unique individuals that help us connect the history of football to diversity and inclusion.

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Alice Milliat

Suffragette of Sport

Raheem Sterling

Fighting back against Prejudice

Leo Halle

The Lion of Deventer

England international footballer Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland.

Fred Pentland

Missionary for the 'English Way'

Educational Resources

Last 30-days engaging resources & collections on Football Makes History

Football heritage outreach (illustrated by Els Thijsse).

The Football Club Exhibitions

Football clubs can improve their engaged heritage work by collaborating with museums.

“El Clásico”, 2009 (Photo: Alejandro Ramos / Source: Wikimedia Commons).

El “Clásico” and Nationalism

Linking the history of Spain, football and nationalism through a world-famous example of Real Madrid - Barcelona rivalry.

Swastika over White Heart Lane (Photo: Getty Images).

The Fan Protest of 1935

Learn how fans in London protested the Swastika in 1935, to analyze the place of politics in football today.

Soldiers in Congo in uniform, approx 1910-1925 (Source: Collectie Stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen).

Football, Colonialism, and Migration

How did football evolve over time in both the Congo and Belgium? How has football (environments) been used beyond playing a sport? This is a learning activity to help students explore these topics.

The Football Club Heritage Outreach

Football clubs can strengthen their community engagement and societal impact through heritage-based outreach.

Football heritage partnerships (illustrated by Els Thijsse).

The Football Club Partnerships in Heritage

Football clubs can improve their heritage work and community engagement through strategic partnerships.

The Football Club Marking Shared Heritage

Football clubs can strengthen their supporters community through socially engaged heritage programming.

Boban's mythical kick murals (Photo: Dario Brentin)

Did a game of football start a war?

Learning activity teaching students historical causality by assessing the role of the 1990 “Maksimir riots” in the unfolding of the Yugoslav Wars.

Football heritage tours (illustrated by Els Thijsse).

The Football Club Museum for All

Football clubs can improve their heritage work and community engagement with their museums and tours.

Educational resources

Latest learning activities & collections

Gameplan Toolkit

The Football Club Partnerships in Heritage

Football clubs can improve their heritage work and community engagement through strategic partnerships.

Gameplan Toolkit

The Football Club Museum for All

Football clubs can improve their heritage work and community engagement with their museums and tours.

Gameplan Toolkit

The Football Club Marking Shared Heritage

Football clubs can strengthen their supporters community through socially engaged heritage programming.

read & download the toolkit

Toolkit

Toolkit for using historical and cultural heritage dimensions of football to enhance social inclusion and promote diversity in non-formal setting.

toolkit

Inclusion & Integration

Thematic Tips

Stories

Football on the Mountain: Visiting the Titanus Museum in San Marino

A visit to the Titanus Museum reveals how football heritage shapes identity in San Marino and opens paths for institutional collaboration.

Bayanihan Cup 2025 and 3rd year anniversary of FFCT.

Stories

A Story of Unity and Passion: How Filipino Football Found Its Home in Bangkok

The Filipino Football Community Thailand has transformed from casual games among friends into a cornerstone of Filipino culture in the Thai capital.

Wooden cross marked with footballs at Truce site.

Stories

Football in the Trenches: The 1914 Christmas Truce at Ploegsteert

How a spontaneous football moment during the 1914 Christmas Truce in Belgium became a timeless symbol of humanity amid war — and what it means today.

The room of the trophies in Juventus Musem.

Stories

Football, Memory and Identity at the Allianz Stadium

An exploration of football’s cultural power, linking insights from the Social Football Summit with a journey through the Juventus Museum and its narratives.

Football in Cultural Heritage

Thematic Tips