World Cup 006 | Is America A Football Country Yet?

World Cup 006 | Is America A Football Country Yet?

It is essential for the success of international football tournaments that the hosts do well, and so far Team USA - undeniably the leader of the 2026 World Cup triumvirate - have exceeded expectations. Yet much of the discourse remains fixated on the popularity of the sport in a country where there are certainly other, bigger games in town. What will it take for the conversation to move on from the health of football in America? Jack Pitt-Brooke, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson dial are on the ground to take a pulse. P1: (11:30) P2: (29:58) For this summer's main event, we are offering all new signups to SC Libero [https://www.liberopodcast.com/sclibero], the most important of the least important membership clubs, a two-week free trial. Time it right and that's two bonus episodes and four extended shows without paying a penny. Remember, bonus episodes are only available to members on the Einsteins tier and above. Join now: liberopodcast.com [https://www.liberopodcast.com/]. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com [getintouch@liberopodcast.com] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod [https://www.youtube.com/@liberopod] Join our Discord @Libero Podcast [https://discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK] Follow us on X @podcast_libero [https://x.com/podcast_libero] Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast [https://bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com] Follow us on Instagram @liberopod [https://www.instagram.com/liberopod] Follow us on TikTok @liberopod [https://www.tiktok.com/@liberopod] Follow us on Facebook @liberopod [https://www.facebook.com/liberopod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

World Cup 005 | The Big Names (And England) Deliver, Ronaldo Doesn't

With all 48 teams at the World Cup 2026 now having played, Gianni Infantino will be delighted that the football is now doing the talking, quite emphatically. To pick apart the first round of matches and the off-field stories that are bubbling away under the surface at Fifa's big jamboree are Miguel Delaney, James Horncastle and Tariq Panja. P1: (00:32) P2: (30:45) For this summer's main event, we are offering all new signups to SC Libero [https://www.liberopodcast.com/sclibero], the most important of the least important membership clubs, a two-week free trial. Time it right and that's two bonus episodes and four extended shows without paying a penny. Remember, bonus episodes are only available to members on the Einsteins tier and above. Join now: liberopodcast.com [https://www.liberopodcast.com/]. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com [getintouch@liberopodcast.com] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod [https://www.youtube.com/@liberopod] Join our Discord @Libero Podcast [https://discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK] Follow us on X @podcast_libero [https://x.com/podcast_libero] Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast [https://bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com] Follow us on Instagram @liberopod [https://www.instagram.com/liberopod] Follow us on TikTok @liberopod [https://www.tiktok.com/@liberopod] Follow us on Facebook @liberopod [https://www.facebook.com/liberopod] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

World Cup 004 | Tickets, Tornados And The England Camp… Initial Impressions

Libero has landed at the World Cup and we've even seen some football. We have everyone’s first impressions from the first week (or so) in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Both Tariq and Jonathan were in Mexico City for the opener, Jack and Miguel are ensconced in the England camp, while Rory and James are experiencing it from opposite sides of the USA, engaging in the greatest pastime of all: working out if America likes football or not. Tying it all together is John, who tells us the one thing the rest of us don’t know: whether anyone back home cares. Initial impressions: (01:23) Wilson and Tariq in Mexico: (13:11) Tickets: (27:31) Jack and Miguel in Kansas: (39:21) Final thoughts: (52:59) For this summer's main event, we are offering all new signups to SC Libero [https://www.liberopodcast.com/sclibero], the most important of the least important membership clubs, a two-week free trial. Time it right and that's two bonus episodes and four extended shows without paying a penny. Join now: liberopodcast.com [https://www.liberopodcast.com/]. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com [getintouch@liberopodcast.com] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod [https://www.youtube.com/@liberopod] Join our Discord @Libero Podcast [https://discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK] Follow us on X @podcast_libero [https://x.com/podcast_libero] Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast [https://bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com] Follow us on Instagram @liberopod [https://www.instagram.com/liberopod] Follow us on TikTok @liberopod [https://www.tiktok.com/@liberopod] Follow us on Facebook @liberopod [https://www.facebook.com/liberopod] Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

World Cup 003 | Previewing Fifa's Bloated Mega Tournament

The 2026 World Cup is upon us. The “biggest, most inclusive and best" football tournament ever is finally here . Gianni Infantino told us to say that. On today’s Libero, James Horncastle, Rory Smith and Jonathan Wilson look forward — if that’s the right word — to what is about to unfold across the United States, Mexico and Canada and try to pick their way through the politics and the problems to find some actual football. P1: (01:15) P2: (28:43) We are offering all new signups to SC Libero [https://www.liberopodcast.com/sclibero], the most important of the least important membership clubs, a two-week free trial. Time it right and that's two bonus episodes and four extended shows without paying a penny. Join now: liberopodcast.com [https://www.liberopodcast.com/]. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com [getintouch@liberopodcast.com] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod [https://www.youtube.com/@liberopod] Join our Discord @Libero Podcast [https://discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK] Follow us on X @podcast_libero [https://x.com/podcast_libero] Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast [https://bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com] Follow us on Instagram @liberopod [https://www.instagram.com/liberopod] Follow us on TikTok @liberopod [https://www.tiktok.com/@liberopod] Follow us on Facebook @liberopod [https://www.facebook.com/liberopod] Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

World Cup 002 | Are Ancelotti And Tuchel The Exception Or The Rule?

The 2026 World Cup has a class of elite coaching talent unlike any other tournament in history. Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Mauricio Pochettino will all be calling the shots for nations they are not from. There is a clear shift in the profile of managers willing to take jobs that were previously the preserve of international football specialists. Is this the start of a permanent trend shift for top coaches looking to escape the intensity of club football? Will they being able to adapt to a model where money cannot simply be thrown at a problem position. Jack Pitt-Brooke, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson tackle this one. P1: (01:56 P2: (26:26) We are offering new members a two-week free trial of SC Libero⁠ [https://www.liberopodcast.com/sclibero] on all pricing tiers, time it right and that's two bonus episodes and four extended shows without paying a penny. Join now: liberopodcast.com [https://www.liberopodcast.com/]. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via getintouch@liberopodcast.com [getintouch@liberopodcast.com] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod [https://www.youtube.com/@liberopod] Join our Discord @Libero Podcast [https://discord.gg/v6c2fdMKSK] Follow us on X @podcast_libero [https://x.com/podcast_libero] Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast [https://bsky.app/profile/liberopodcast.com] Follow us on Instagram @liberopod [https://www.instagram.com/liberopod] Follow us on TikTok @liberopod [https://www.tiktok.com/@liberopod] Follow us on Facebook @liberopod [https://www.facebook.com/liberopod] Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]