World Cup 2026: Is the 48-team tournament a success?

World Cup 2026: USA 94 and a tale of two penalties

The United States have reached the round of 16 at their home World Cup just as they did the last time they hosted the competition in 1994. The USA did so by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in Santa Clara. More than the Score's Lee James discusses this year's run with Kerith Gabriel, sports editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lee also reflects on the World Cup 32 years ago with those involved in the big moments, including the scorer of the USA's first goal Eric Wynalda, Sunday Oliseh from debutants Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland's goalscorer Ray Houghton. We also hear from the man who ran the show, the former head of US Soccer and the organising committee, Alan Rothenberg. He reveals how they turned a sceptical public and football world around to produce what became the highest attended and most lucrative World Cup. This is a tale of two missed penalties and so much that happened in-between, as World Cup 94 became the American dream. 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: Cape Verde prepare to face Messi's Argentina

Cape Verde, in their debut World Cup, have already drawn with Spain and Uruguay and now they’re set for their biggest test yet, Lionel Messi's defending champions Argentina. Playing ahead of their now famous 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, is Sidny Lopes Cabral, a defender who’s one of several Dutch-born players in a squad that has been taken liberally from the Cape Verdean diaspora. He explains to Mani Djazmi his excitement ahead of facing Argentina and says they’re taking inspiration from Paraguay’s shock win over Germany. 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: What next for Germany after Paraguay exit?

Mani Djazmi is joined by German football expert Constantin Eckner and the BBC’s tactics correspondent Umir Irfan to reflect on Germany’s shock defeat against Paraguay at the World Cup. The 2014 world champions haven’t won a knockout game at a World Cup since they lifted the trophy in Brazil, and heading into the Paraguay game they had never lost a World Cup penalty shootout. We discuss what went wrong for Germany, and what their defeat means for the future of manager Julian Nagelsmann. We also hear from jubilant Paraguay fans and discuss how did Gustavo Alfaro's men pull off the biggest shock of the knockout stages so far? More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. Search for More than the Score, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

World Cup 2026: Is the 48-team tournament a success?

Lee James is joined by African football commentator Mark Gleeson, South American football expert Tim Vickery and Daniel Storey, chief football writer for the i Newspaper, to assess whether the biggest World Cup has been a success. They discuss whether the tournament has lacked jeopardy, what has led to nine African teams reaching the knockout stage and whether the World Cup will now expand again to 64 teams. Tim believes the rise of Africa could make life more difficult in the coming years for some South American nations and that questions will be asked about whether Asia deserves so many places, given their relative under-performance in 2026. More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. Search for More than the Score, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Are sport and fashion closer than ever?

Back in January, Naomi Osaka turned heads at tennis's Australian Open when she took to the court for her first-round match wearing a long, flowing outfit - accompanied by a custom hat and parasol - inspired by reading her daughter a story about jellyfish. Created with sports brand Nike and designer Robert Wun, it further cemented four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka's reputation as one of sport's most fashion-conscious stars. Earlier this year, More than the Score's Sophia Hartley spoke to two industry experts about how sport and fashion influence each other, and whether they're becoming even more closely linked. Sheena Butler-Young is a senior correspondent for fashion industry news site The Business of Fashion. She believes the two industries have never been more aligned. Melissa Anglesea is the creative director of Suzi Wong, the British sportswear company who've created custom outfits for many of boxing's biggest names, including Tyson Fury and Amir Khan. She explains how the creative process works when collaborating with the world's best fighters.