Is the World Cup for sale? We're briefly back from our summer break with a FootPol episode on FIFA's $20bn proposal. FIFA says investment will transform football. Critics ask if private money changes who the game serves. Listen 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis... Opportunity or a step too far?

🎙️ That's a wrap on Season 3! A huge thank you to everyone who's listened, shared and supported us. In just 3 years we've passed 100 episodes and reached the Top 25 podcasts on Buzzsprout. Catch up on the archive over the summer—we'll be back with Season 4 in September: www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/

Was World Cup 2026 ever just about football? In our Season 3 finale, we revisit the politics behind the tournament—from FIFA and ticket prices to Iran, Palestine, Balogun, Mbappe, Pride and more. Check it out here: www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis... We'll be back in September. Have a great summer!

The World Cup is over. Now comes the bigger question: can FIFA be reformed? Guy spoke to sports consultant Gaby Bracamonte about governance, ticket pricing, commercialisation and what players, managers and fas can do to reclaim control of football. Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Spain and Argentina contest today's World Cup final—and both will help host the 2030 tournament. Why did FIFA choose a six-country, three-continent World Cup? We explored the politics behind the decision with Leslie Mabon. 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Spain v Argentina isn't just today's World Cup final—it's politics too. From Trump and Spain to Argentina's Las Malvinas banner, football never escapes politics. We explored similar controversies after the 2024 Euros & Copa América. 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Argentina meet England in tonight's World Cup semi-final. Our archive episode with Mariano Paz explores the time these two met at the 1986 World Cup in the wake of the Falklands/Malvinas War and how that contributed to Diego Maradona's political significance. 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

England face Argentina in tonight's World Cup semi-final. Our archive episode with @sheffieldhallamuni.bsky.social's Jack Black explores the 3 Lions song and the nostalgia it evokes in football and politics: looking back to a past that can never be actualised. 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Spain face France tonight for a place in the World Cup final. Our FootPol archive episode with @miguellpereira.bsky.social explores the developments in Spanish football from Franco to democracy, changing ownership, and the impact of a more diverse national team. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

It's Bastille Day, and France face Spain for a place in the World Cup final. Our FootPol archive with @jonathanervine.bsky.social explores football, race, religion, national identity and why some French players speak out while others stay silent. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

England face Norway for a World Cup semi-final place tonight. Our FootPol archive with @joshbland13.bsky.social last year explored English football's working-class roots, the idea of "authentic" football and what the Premier League has changed. Worth a listen! 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Spain face Belgium tonight. Spain's last World Cup win came in 2023 with the women's team. Our FootPol archive asks a bigger question: did that triumph change Spanish football and society? 🎧 www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

France v Morocco is a perfect example of football globalisation: migration, diaspora and identities crossing borders. Our archive with historian Graham Cornwell explores how the game has changed — and why Morocco’s rise is no surprise. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Messi's Argentina face Egypt today. Before the match, revisit our FootPol archive with Mariano Paz on Diego Maradona: why he became Argentina's ultimate football icon, and why the 1986 win over England resonated far beyond the pitch. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Spain face Portugal tonight. From Franco’s legacy to Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, @miguellpereira.bsky.social draws on his book to explore how Spanish football has been shaped by politics, identity and change in our FootPol archive. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

🚨New episode! Marie-Louise Eta’s appointment at Union Berlin in April wasn’t the “first” in women coaching men’s football—but it’s the highest-profile in a top European league. New FootPol ep w/ @cmrobertz.bsky.social on why that framing persists + what it hides: www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Brazil face Norway today. From Pelé and Paulo Cezar Caju to the Seleção's historic black shirt in 2023, our trip to the FootPol archive is an episode with Universidade Federal Fluminense's Ana Paula da Silva, who explains race, politics and Brazilian football. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Morocco face Canada in the Round of 16. But their rise isn't only a men's story: Morocco has also become one of the leading forces in women's football across the Middle East and North Africa. @assiletoufaily.bsky.social explains why in our FootPol archive episode. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Could this be Mohamed Salah's final World Cup? Before Egypt face Australia today, hear our episode with UCLA's @salmamousa.bsky.social on Salah's global impact, politics, identity—and how his arrival at Liverpool coincided with a fall in anti-Muslim hate crimes. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Portugal face Croatia today. From Eusébio to Cristiano Ronaldo, @miguellpereira.bsky.social explores Portugal's football identity, politics and diaspora—and why the Seleção unites supporters like no other team, beyond club rivalries of the Big Three. Check it out! www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

England face DR Congo today. If they win, expect to hear Three Lions (Football's Coming Home) in pubs and fan zones. Why does it still resonate 30 years on? Jack Black explores the politics of nostalgia, football & national identity in our FootPol archive episode. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

France face Sweden today. How did French football become a political battleground? @jonathanervine.bsky.social explores identity, secularism and the national team in our latest FootPol archive episode. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Germany face Paraguay tonight. Why is German football different? @politicsofsports.bsky.social explains the 50+1 ownership model, fan power, and what the national team says about modern Germany. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

DR Congo are through! One of their most devoted fans is Michel Mboladinga, who supports the team dressed as Patrice Lumumba. Our latest archive episode explores football in DR Congo amid conflict, especially in the east and the resilience of clubs and communities. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Cabo Verde are through to the World Cup knockout stage! We spoke with Emmanuel Charles D'Oliveira and Nuno Domingos about how this small island nation built its football identity—and the key role of its diaspora. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Iraq face Senegal tonight. Before kick-off, we visited out achive and invite you to hear Hassanane Balal explain how football helped unite Iraq after 2003, the legacy of the 2007 Asian Cup and the role of the diaspora in the national team last year. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

Curaçao face Côte d'Ivoire tonight in only their third World Cup match. How did the smallest nation ever to reach the finals build a World Cup team? Researchers Karym Leito and Margo Groenewoud explain in this FootPol Podcast episode: www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

FootPol Podcast is now in the top 25% on Buzzsprout 🎙️ Of 100k+ shows, this marks steady growth for a small independent project built without funding or institutional backing. Thanks to listeners—subscribe or share if you can. It genuinely helps. Next stop: top 10%. www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/

Colombia are through to the next round in the 2026 World Cup, so we’re revisiting our FootPol episode on football, politics and identity in Colombia with @drpetewatson.bsky.social — from FARC to cartels to peacebuilding. It was an excellent conversation. Do listen! www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

'Why is there no British national football team?' @icshc.bsky.social Director Professor Matt Taylor @matttayl.bsky.social speaks to the @footpolpodcast.bsky.social - www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis... #sportshistory #FIFAWC (Pictured: The Scottish national football team from 1895).