Curiously, while research sub-disciplines such as the sociology of sport have utilized theories of globalization, the major sociological analysts of global change have passed over football as a relevant object of study.4 Conversely, we argue here that sport generally, and football in particular, constitutes a vital site for the theorization and empirical exploration of the multidimensional and long-term process of globalization. One might say something similar about cuisine, music, health, sexuality, fashion, the cinema, the novel and so on. We are here, however, concerned with ‘the global game’ – both in its own right and how, on the other hand, analysis of it contributes to our sociological understanding of globalization.