The Galaxy World Cup

Author: Joyce, Alan

Interest age: from c 7 years

Published on 12 February 2026 by Chicken House Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 224 pages
196 x 131 x 17 | 178g

From wormholes to bouncy pitches, this side-splitting

wacky story will appeal to ages 7-11 and any football fans!

When aliens mistake schoolboy Nick and his fellow misfits for

the world’s greatest football players, they are whisked across

the Milky Way to compete in an intergalactic football tournament

against REAL ALIENS.

The only problem?

They are NOT the greatest football players on Earth – they’re

the WORST! But if they want to go home, they’ll

have to lace up their boots and try to actually score a goal . .

.

The debut novel from the 2024 Times/Chicken

House Children’s Fiction Competition shortlistee, Alan Joyce.

This intergalactic story, with themes of friendship and

team spirit, is the perfect underdog story.

A fun and original football book just in time for the

2026 FIFA World Cup!