Whatever will be, will be : Whatever will be, will be: A Matter of Life and Football - Shortlisted for Charles Tyrwhitt Football Book of the Year and Sports Audiobook of the Year 2026 - Felix White

Written with such an emotional literacy that you want to show it to people who don't see the point of football so you can go "This! This is what it's all about. This is why it's great!" I highly recommend it'. - Jim Campbell, Football Ramble'A book so beautiful that it finally made me understand what football means. An exceptional writer.'- Bella Mackie
'So much more than a book about football. A book about aging, community and memory. Rich in detail and great jokes. I wish I had written it.' - Josh Widdicombe
'Mesmerising and unputdownable, like Fever Pitch meets The Sportswriter. I commend it in the highest terms.' - Amol RajanFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of It's Always Summer Somewhere comes a moving and often hilarious journey through the 2024/25 FA Cup - from the first muddy preliminary round in Penrith toa glorious sunny day at Wembley. On the brink of turning 40, Felix White sets out to watch a match from every round of the Cup, meeting fans, players and dreamers at every level of the English game. As he travels the country, football becomes a way to explore memory, identity, grief and joy. While he reflects on his own lifelong obsessions, his story becomes a unique expression of how the game communicates something vital, both literal and internal, between a child and an adult. Told with lyrical wit and heartfelt honesty, Whatever Will Be, Will Be is more than just a story about football - it's about growing up, holding on and the strange ways sport connects us all.