This chart perfectly explains Gianni Infantino's gambit... - If he gets only the vote of nations that have never played a men's World Cup, it passes overwhelmingly - Put another way, all he needs is the vote of every country smaller than Kyrgyzstan

New @soccernomicspod.bsky.social podcast on the FIFA boycott issue👇

soccernomicspod.bsky.social@soccernomicspod.bsky.social · 6d ago

We recorded before the boycott news dropped, but given it was already on the cards, we discussed it at length in the episode. Find it here: open.spotify.com/episode/1Sqi...

UEFA says it will boycott the next World Cup if FIFA's new investment plan for the tournament goes through. Ashish and @sszy.bsky.social got into all the ins and outs of the deal in this morning's episode of the pod.

The Soccernomics view of why Spain has become a global football power in recent decades: The opening up of the country after the end of the Franco dictatorship. @sszy.bsky.social explains why in our World Cup recap

All three lectures in our lecture series “Soccer: The Beautiful Game” are now available to watch online! Our most recent lecture, “Paying for Soccer,” featuring @soccernomicspod.bsky.social, can be found here: vimeo.com/1204340772

Paying for Soccer - The Financial Hole in the Beautiful Game

Jun 04, 2026 | 6pm ET Lecture at the GHI Washington | Speaker: Stefan Szymanski (University of Michigan). Moderator: Arpad von Klimó (The Catholic University of America) Soccer is the world's domina...

vimeo.com

"We're living in the Golden Age of English Football" - @simonkuper.bsky.social in the latest episode of The Soccernomics Podcast

There's a perfect strategy for taking penalty kicks in soccer … according to game theory. And studying this strategy actually changed how economists think about game theory itself. That's our latest episode. h/t @soccernomicspod.bsky.social buff.ly/eSFrcBX

After their surprise draws against Spain and Uruguay, Cape Verde have a real chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of The World Cup tonight. So how far can they go? Ashish Malhotra and @sszy.bsky.social discussed on in one of our episodes earlier this week

The soccernomics podcast with @sszy.bsky.social is out. Go have a listen to this episode on the expected winner(s) of the #worldcup👇👍

soccernomicspod.bsky.social@soccernomicspod.bsky.social · 2mo ago

@sszy.bsky.social has simulated the entire World Cup 20,000 times through two different models. We've distilled it into an episode you can just about listen to before the tournament kicks off in 20 mins. And if not, you can always listen later:

Ahead of the USMNT-Socceroos match, a clip from our discussion from earlier in the week, about whether diverse national teams can change attitudes around immigration... @sszy.bsky.social

Can a successful Socceroos team - which showcases multiculturalism and has three players who were born in refugee camps - change attitudes on immigration in Australia? That's what we discussed in our first episode since the World Cup kicked off @sszy.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/5rlq...

The Socceroos and USMNT: Can Diverse National Teams Drive Social Change?

The Soccernomics Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

@sszy.bsky.social has simulated the entire World Cup 20,000 times through two different models. We've distilled it into an episode you can just about listen to before the tournament kicks off in 20 mins. And if not, you can always listen later:

On yesterday's episode of @soccernomicspod.bsky.social, @simonkuper.bsky.social explained why Europe's advantage lies in it being a hub of football ideas - which many of the greatest coaches steal from each other:

The World Cup starts this week. But could it be the last time we ever say that? @sszy.bsky.social and Ashish Malhotra are in @economist.com's By Invitation section today, laying out how Trump and FIFA could break football as we know it over the next month www.economist.com/by-invitatio...

This may just be the last World Cup

America’s bellicosity combined with FIFA’s dysfunctionality spells trouble, reckon the Soccernomics podcasters

economist.com

Check out our discussion from last week to make sense of the PSG-Arsenal penalty shootout The best penalty takers have perfected a randomized sequence of where they shoot over time But the penalty that ended the Champions League Final was the first Gabriel had ever taken.

Heartbreak for Arsenal Glory for PSG Relevance for @soccernomicspod.bsky.social If you just watched that penalty shootout and want to know more about the psychology of penalty kicks, our episode from Thursday is a must listen. #ChampionsLeague #Arsenal #PSG open.spotify.com/episode/2U9r...

Game Theory: The Hidden Science Behind Penalty Shootouts

The Soccernomics Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com

Enjoying this podcast that takes insights from the book "Soccernomics," updates them, & uses them to make sense of the 2026 World Cup. Host Ashish Malhotra guides the ship alongside @simonkuper.bsky.social & @sszy.bsky.social

soccernomicspod.bsky.social@soccernomicspod.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Announcing The Soccernomics Podcast, here to help you prepare for the World Cup through the lens of the @nytimes.com bestselling book. Join @simonkuper.bsky.social, Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra as they uncover hidden truths behind the game. Subscribe: open.spotify.com/show/033eUgQ...

Prepare for today's Champions League Final with a look back to 2008. @simonkuper.bsky.social tells the story of how Chelsea almost won that year's final thanks to Game Theory research by friend of the show, Ignacio Palacios-Huerta. ...until Man United's Edwin van der Sar figured out was going on

⚽ "Paying for Soccer," the final event in our "Soccer: The Beautiful Game" series, takes place Thursday, June 4! We look forward to hosting Stefan Szymanski of @soccernomicspod.bsky.social to talk about the economics of professional soccer... sign up to attend here: www.ghi-dc.org/events/event...

Event – GHI Washington

ghi-dc.org

Why does England always lose at big tournaments? And why have they started to get closer to winning? @simonkuper.bsky.social tells Ashish Malhotra it's because of more foreign players in the Premier League - even though many argued the opposite for so long. Full ep: open.spotify.com/episode/2flD...

Has data fully arrived in football? @simonkuper.bsky.social explains why new age stats like expected goals, pass completion rates and expected threat are just the tip of the iceberg. Subscribe and get the first episode of The Soccernomics Podcast here: open.spotify.com/episode/4uxL...

Did you know the term Soccer actually originated in England? Stefan Szymanski explains the history of the word in the first episode of The Soccernomics Podcast. Subscribe and catch the full episode here: open.spotify.com/show/033eUgQ...

Announcing The Soccernomics Podcast, here to help you prepare for the World Cup through the lens of the @nytimes.com bestselling book. Join @simonkuper.bsky.social, Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra as they uncover hidden truths behind the game. Subscribe: open.spotify.com/show/033eUgQ...