Discover the flavours of World Cup 2026 with national food match-ups

The World Cup is a festival of football – but it also represents a coming together of cultures and if you like your food, it’s an opportunity to put some new dishes on the menu.

When England take on Croatia for their opening match in Dallas on June 17, millions of fans in the UK will sit down to watch – and thanks to a new World Football Food cookbook, developed specially for the tournament, they can also eat food match-ups from the competing nations.

How about some pitting some pulled beef Yorkshires against Croatia’s Cevapi bites? Or for the main, it’s Cottage Pie versus Brudet, a tasty rustic tomatoey fisherman’s stew, traditionally eaten all along the country’s stunning coastline. That should make watching the match entertaining, however England play.

Every nation in the tournament has a different flavour to tantalise the taste buds – spicy and tangy from the Latin American teams; rich and eclectic from the Europeans; vibrant and powerful from the Africans; and bold Asian flavours from across the Pacific.

The popularity of street food has unearthed some unique dishes from many nations in recent years, but the world’s biggest World Cup has the potential to reveal many, many mor – and the cookbook delivers, with 288 recipes from the 48 competing nations including three simple snacks, two quick and easy sides and one bigger main for table dining.

Stepping up the snacks

More than half of the UK will be tuning into the tournament this summer – and recent research shows that 57 percent of those will be eating and drinking during the match.

The increasing cost of going out has made watch parties a biger thing these days – with many people bringing together friends and family to watch the big matches (England or otherwise) in the comfort of their own home, rather than going down the pub. Most will probably stick to standard crisps and nuts, or maybe add the odd dip, but with relatively minimal effort, it’s easy to step things up a gear.

The book combines national recipes with top-level tournament insight – so you can also get a quick top-level knowledge of who you’re watching – and all the recipes have easy-to-follow instructions and widely available traditional ingredients or substitutions. Encouraging friends to bring along their favourite dishes is a good way to add to the entertainment – while keeping your own time in the kitchen down to a minimum as you prepare for the match!

Author Will Gray said: “I’ve been cooking dishes from competing nations in the World Cup and Euros tournaments for years with my friends and family. It’s great fun, and it really adds to the experience – so that’s why I developed this book.

“I would really love to think that there will be people all around the UK this summer doing the same as I’ve been doing – and enjoying some unique food with their football. And if I can help them to do that with the recipes in my book, all the better…!”

Website: www.worldfootballfood.com