More than the Score

World Cup 2026: Can Vancouver hang on to its own team?

As Vancouver hosts the last of its seven games at World Cup 2026, the city now faces a battle to keep its own MLS team. The Vancouver Whitecaps are for sale and have been linked with a potential relocation to Las Vegas. The Whitecaps say they’ve held serious talks with more than 100 potential interested parties, but no viable offer has emerged that would keep the team in Vancouver. Lee James speaks to former Canada internationals David Edgar and Paul Dolan, who both have links with Vancouver, to get their take on the situation. Isaac Fanin visits the city to speak to Whitecaps fans, journalists and former players to find out how people feel about a possible relocation to Las Vegas. We also hear from MLS vice president Dan Courtemanche about the possibility of the club relocating. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

World Cup 2026: Haaland and Norway sail on as Brazil drought continues

Norway, aided by two goals from Erling Haaland, have reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time with a 2-1 win over Brazil – whose wait for their sixth title will stretch to at least 28 years. Mani Djazmi is joined by Norwegian football journalist Lars Sivertsen and South American football expert Tim Vickery to reflect on what the results mean for both countries… Lars discusses the influence of Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, the fact Erling Haaland wants to inspire young people to dream of playing for Norway and explains the shared football heritage of Norway and England ahead of the two sides facing each other in the last eight. Tim derides the decision to take Neymar to the World Cup and to bring him on against Norway and says manager Carlo Ancelotti will now feel pressure around his position much greater than anything he will have experienced at Real Madrid or AC Milan. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

World Cup 2026: How Mexico fell in love with football

Co-hosts Mexico have won four matches in a row at the World Cup, and are now set to face England at Mexico City’s legendary Azteca Stadium, with a place in the quarter-finals on the line. Football is a way of life in Mexico - but did you know a group of Cornish miners helped introduce the sport to the country? Henry Cowling has been investigating the role those miners played in Mexico's footballing story. This documentary first featured on Not By The Playbook. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

What makes a Grand Slam grand?

The Indian Wells tournament and the Players Championship are often unofficially referred to as the “fifth Grand Slam” and the “fifth major” of tennis and men's golf respectively. But could those nicknames ever become a reality – and who gets to confer that status on them? What makes some tournaments ‘major’, and why do they seem to matter more? BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter talks to More than the Score’s Ade Adedoyin about how the Open, the Masters, the US Open and the US PGA came to be regarded as the four majors of the men’s game – even though other tournaments previously had that status too. What do they reveal about where power lies in the sport? Ben Rothenberg, editor of tennis magazine Bounces, also joins the pod to explain what sets the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open apart from the rest of tennis. How much does entering their name into history still motivate golfers and tennis players today? And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk [morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

World Cup 2026: Is Philadelphia the best host city for fans?

Philadelphia may not have hosted an opening ceremony, and it won’t be the venue for the final, but the city certainly seems to have been one of the big winners of the World Cup. Philadelphia Stadium – AKA Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles - has been full for games involving the likes of Brazil, France and Ivory Coast. In the first two weeks of the tournament, 250,000 people had been through the gates to watch games on big screens at the fan park. Lee James and John Bennett examine the fan experience in the city, with John visiting a tailgate before the Brazil v Haiti game, chatting to fans and sampling the food on offer. Lee then visits all four of the main US sports teams in the city - the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers - to learn more about Philadelphia’s sporting heritage. He also hears from Meg Kane, the host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, about why the city wanted to host games and what benefits it brings. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.