Mbappe & Declan Rice Join Our Ultimate Team, Plus Messi Makes History!

Mbappe & Declan Rice Join Our Ultimate Team, Plus Messi Makes History!

Declan Rice and Kylian Mbappe join our Ultimate World Cup Team, Messi makes history, and it's prediction time! Issy and George are back for World Cup 2026, building the best XI in the world one pick at a time. In this episode: - Build the Ultimate Team: Issy picks Declan Rice in midfield, George takes Kylian Mbappe on the wing (that's 6 of 11!) - Messi makes history: Leo turns 39 and becomes the all-time World Cup top scorer - England 0-0 Ghana, and Scotland fall 3-0 to Brazil - Predictions: both hosts call Croatia v Ghana Send us your predictions and voice notes: ufh@stripped.media Find the Ultimate Football Heroes books: https://heroesfootball.com/books/podcast/ New episode every Tuesday. Hosted by Issy and George. Produced by Bonnier Books and Stripped Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

England 4-2 Croatia, Cape Verde Stun Spain & Messi's Hat-Trick

The World Cup is up and running, and so are England. Issy and George break down a cagey first half and a frankly unbelievable second half as England beat Croatia 4-2, including Harry Kane's penalty (taken twice, thanks to encroachment), a Jude Bellingham goal, and a man-of-the-match shift from Elliot Anderson up against Luka Modric. Then it's the big Round One report card: Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper holding Spain on their World Cup debut, Messi's hat-trick, Germany's seven-goal statement and a flying France. The hosts get into the Messi v Ronaldo debate, reveal the Brazil v Morocco prediction result (George leads 2-0), and George reports back from the World Cup in America. We add Virgil van Dijk and Vinicius Jr to our Ultimate World Cup XI, check in on the sweepstake (good news if you have Scotland), and lock in this week's prediction: Norway v Senegal, with Erling Haaland tipped for the Golden Boot. Send us a voice note or an email at ufh@stripped.media. Read more about the players in the Ultimate Football Heroes books, the bestselling football biography series for kids: https://heroesfootball.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Big Draw: What’s Your World Cup 2026 Team?

The World Cup is finally here, and your team has already been picked for you. Issy and George kick off the Ultimate Football Heroes World Cup podcast with the Big Draw: your birthday month decides which country you cheer for all tournament, and everyone gets Scotland as a bonus team. Plus the first picks for our ultimate team, Messi’s record-breaking last World Cup, the thin air of Mexico City, and the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup. Want to win an Ultimate Football Heroes audiobook? Get a grown-up to record a voice note with your name, where you’re from, the team your birthday gave you, and who you think will win the World Cup. Send it to ufh@stripped.media. Everyone who sends one goes into this week’s draw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Season Finale! Issy Wins The Title, West Ham Go Down & We're Off To The World Cup | UFH Ep28

This is it - the season-one finale. Arsenal are champions (and apparently have 300 million new fans overnight), and the final day settled the relegation battle. Issy was there to see West Ham go down - with a record: West Ham now hold two of the three highest points totals ever for a relegated team. Big commiserations to all the Hammers fans. Then the big one: the prediction game that's run all season comes down to the final weekend, and the final week counts DOUBLE. Issy went in five points clear on 31, George on 26. In the Women's Champions League final in Oslo, Barcelona thumped OL Lyonnes 4-0 - both hosts called the Barcelona win, two points each. Then Spurs beat Everton 1-0 on Premier League final day - George nailed the exact score for four doubled points, but it wasn't quite enough. Final score: Issy 33, George 32. Issy is your season-one champion by a single point. We hear from Harry, a brilliant Crystal Palace fan, dig into Thomas Tuchel's punchy England squad (Trent, Foden, Palmer and Gibbs-White all left out), play Football by Numbers: The Premier League Edition, and send the season off in style. This is the last episode of the season, but it is absolutely not goodbye - the Ultimate Football Heroes Podcast is going to the World Cup. Tell your mates! Get a grown-up to help you send a voice note or email to ufhpodcast@gmail.com. Read the books: Ultimate Football Heroes, the bestselling football biography series for kids - over 50 titles, wherever you buy books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Issy's Broken Ankle, Sam Kerr's Goodbye Goal & The Wembley Quiz | UFH Ep27

Issy turned up to record with a surgical boot. Broken ankle, end-of-season heartbreak, and George immediately starts looking for the "every cloud" silver lining (he doesn't read the room). Then it's straight into a huge Chelsea Saturday. Sam Kerr scored the only goal in the WSL final-day win over Manchester United Women, equalling Fran Kirby's all-time Chelsea record of 116 goals, and quietly announced she's leaving the club this summer. Meanwhile at Wembley, Antoine Semenyo broke the FA Cup Final open with a backheel that George is calling "a piece of art - frame it, stick it in the Louvre." Both hosts called the result on both games. One point each, both ways. Issy's now on 31, George on 26. We open the floor for World Cup voice notes. Where will you be watching, what's your bedtime strategy for those late kick-offs, which countries are you backing. Then it's time for a brand new Wembley Quiz. Six questions about the most famous stadium in football. George manages to slip Harry Styles into roughly half of them. Two predictions to round us out, and a reminder that the final weekend of the season counts DOUBLE. First, the Women's Champions League Final between Barcelona and OL Lyonnes in Oslo (Saturday). Second, Spurs vs Everton on Premier League final day (Sunday, 4pm BST). Chapters: 00:00 Welcome & Issy's Broken Ankle 02:19 Predictions Recap - Sam Kerr's Record + Semenyo's Backheel 05:59 World Cup Call-Out 08:03 Wembley Quiz 12:35 Next Week's Predictions - WCL Final + Spurs v Everton (double points!) 14:42 Closing Got something to say? Send us a voice note or an email at ufhpodcast@gmail.com. Name, age, who you support, joke if you've got one. World Cup-themed messages especially welcome. Read the books. Ultimate Football Heroes. Bestselling football biography series for kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]