🇪🇸 Can "beautifully structured" Spain lift the World Cup again? 🏆 2026 World Cup Preview

ALTITUDE Acclimatization, Lighting delays, The Right Back PROBLEM and Estadio Azteca 🇲🇽🤯

It’s the TOUGHEST test of Englands World Cup campaign yet! 😳🤯 In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross, to preview Englands incredible challenge of facing a formidable Mexican team at the famous Estadio Azteca! Adjusting to altitude with thinner air, faster ball movement and faster accumulation of fatigue, we discuss how England are to tackle this monumental challenge. 🔥 In this episode, we unpack: The weather and the potential storms that threaten to delay the game! Altitude acclimatization and the question of some help from a certain drug! Defensive capabilities: Is Djed Spence good enough to stay on in place of Reece James and is Jarell Quansah back fit? Will Harry Kane yet again be Englands saviour? The Ultimate Challenge: Previewing the Round of 16 clash against Mexico at the infamous Estadio Azteca, where the hosts have only lost 2 games at their home ground! 🔔 Subscribe to Make Football Great Again so you never miss a match reaction or preview during England’s 2026 World Cup campaign!#EnglandFootball #WorldCup2026 #HarryKane #JudeBellingham #DeclanRice #ThreeLions #EstadioAzteca #EnglandVsMexico #SoccerPodcast #JohnCross Make Football Great Again is the definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup, combining deep-dive interviews from across the globe with legendary tournament anecdotes from our veteran reporters. Read all of the latest football news: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ Subscribe to our new Make Football Great Again newsletter for everything World Cup 2026: https://www.mirror.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/?view=Solus&mailingListId=c4fc9b20-3be6-4105-9f07-3ae274c4031b&utm_source=solusarticle #England #ThreeLions #Football #Soccer #WorldCup #WorldCup2026 #2026WorldCup #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

England’s Great Escape! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane SAVES The World Cup Dream! (DR Congo Reaction)

It’s the great escape in Atlanta! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🔥 In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross, to break down England’s stressful, heart-stopping 2-1 victory over DR Congo in the final group stage match of the 2026 World Cup. After trailing for 70 minutes, captain Harry Kane once again played saviour, flipping the match with two late goals to book the Three Lions a spot in the Round of 16. We dive into the controversial penalty shout that VAR ignored, the impact of FIFA's new hydration breaks, and give our brutal player ratings for the squad (with a few harsh realities for Marcus Rashford and Djed Spence). 🔥 In this episode, we unpack: Harry Kane's Heroics: Why his second goal will go down in England World Cup folklore. The Penalty Controversy: Did Kane leave his foot in, or did the referee and VAR completely bottle a clear foul? Midfield Fatigue: Is Declan Rice running on empty? Why the Rice & Elliot Anderson pairing isn't working. The Left-Side Void: The ongoing struggles of Marcus Rashford when starting versus coming off the bench. The Ultimate Challenge: Previewing the Round of 16 clash against Mexico at the infamous Estadio Azteca, where the hosts have a 79% win rate. 🔔 Subscribe to Make Football Great Again so you never miss a match reaction or preview during England’s 2026 World Cup campaign! #EnglandFootball #WorldCup2026 #HarryKane #JudeBellingham #DeclanRice #ThreeLions #EstadioAzteca #EnglandVsMexico #SoccerPodcast #JohnCross ⏳ The Timecodes 0:00 – Intro: England's heart-stopping 2-1 victory over DR Congo 1:47 – The Emotional Rollercoaster: Going from sheer panic to absolute glory 3:02 – Attacking Fluidity: Was this England's best attacking performance of the tournament? 4:56 – The Penalty Controversy: Did VAR rob Harry Kane before halftime? 7:12 – FIFA's Hydration Breaks: How the controversial pauses saved England's tactical setup 9:44 – Player Ratings: The Defence (Pickford, Spence, Guéhi, Konsa) 11:08 – Midfield Ratings: Why Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice cannot play together 13:03 – Attacking Ratings: Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford's struggles, and Harry Kane's heroics 15:58 – The Subs: Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka's impact 16:17 – 3 Things We Learned: The broken left flank, Djed Spence's starting spot, and Declan Rice's exhaustion 19:22 – The Estadio Azteca Factor: Previewing the historic Round of 16 clash against Mexico 21:38 – Thomas Tuchel's Job Security: Is a Round of 16 exit acceptable for England? 22:55 – Outro: Looking ahead to Sunday's Azteca preview Make Football Great Again is the definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup, combining deep-dive interviews from across the globe with legendary tournament anecdotes from our veteran reporters. Read all of the latest football news: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ Subscribe to our new Make Football Great Again newsletter for everything World Cup 2026: https://www.mirror.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/?view=Solus&mailingListId=c4fc9b20-3be6-4105-9f07-3ae274c4031b&utm_source=solusarticle #England #ThreeLions #Football #Soccer #WorldCup #WorldCup2026 #2026WorldCup #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Chopping and Changing positions, Englands team Mascot and precious Penalties! 😳✅❌

What a whirlwind the World Cup has produced over the last 24 hours with two big footballing nations being taken out on penalties. In this episode John and Harry discuss Englands prolific penalty takers, mentality and what it's going to take for the team to reach the final. France have sent shockwaves through the tournament with an impressive win whilst Norway took down the Ivory Coast to reach the countries first Round of 16 in the World Cup. What will happen as England take on DR Congo, let us know your score predictions in the comments down below... Make Football Great Again is the definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup, combining deep-dive interviews from across the globe with legendary tournament anecdotes from our veteran reporters. Read all of the latest football news: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ Subscribe to our new Make Football Great Again newsletter for everything World Cup 2026: https://www.mirror.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/?view=Solus&mailingListId=c4fc9b20-3be6-4105-9f07-3ae274c4031b&utm_source=solusarticle #England #ThreeLions #Football #Soccer #WorldCup #WorldCup2026 #2026WorldCup #podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Jude Bellingham to the Rescue, Kane’s Record-Breaker, and England’s Endless Right-Back Curse!

England are through to the Round of 32 as Group L winners! But let’s be completely honest, Thomas Tuchel’s side made hard work of a 2-0 win over Panama at the MetLife Stadium. In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross, live from the stadium to dissect a laboured but much-needed victory. We break down another superstar performance from Jude Bellingham and discuss Harry Kane rewriting the history books by eclipsing Gary Lineker’s World Cup goalscoring record. We dive deep into the tactical gamble of Tuchel's reshuffled midfield, major structural warnings after Panama cut through England's defence, and the absolutely mind-boggling right-back injury curse that has claimed Jarell Quansah. Finally, we hand out our post-match player ratings and debate whether it’s time to fully commit to Jed Spence for the knockout rounds. Episode Timestamps 00:06 – Introduction & Match Overview: Harry and John react to England’s 2-0 win over Panama and topping Group L. 00:50 – The Jude Bellingham Show: Discussing Bellingham’s game-changing performance and why he’d walk into any world-class side. 02:28 – Tuchel’s Tactical Reshuffle: Breaking down the mass changes, the deeper role for Bellingham, and Kobbie Mainoo being left out. 04:00 – Defensive & Structural Concerns: Why Panama and Ghana’s counter-attacks prove England are wide open ahead of the knockout stages. 05:46 – The Right-Back Injury Curse: Jarell Quansah limps off. With Rhys James and Tino Livramento out, how does Tuchel solve this nightmare? 07:34 – Post-Match Player Ratings: John scores the squad, including Bukayo Saka’s fitness, Marcus Rashford’s sharpness, and Jordan Pickford’s nerves. 10:31 – Substitutes & Milestones: Jordan Henderson sets a historic 7th major tournament record, plus a look at Noni Madueke and the left-flank dilemma. 12:21 – Key Takeaway 1: The Alarming Panama Stats: Dissecting how Panama managed 13 shots and matched England's XG. 13:21 – Key Takeaway 2: Kane vs. Lineker & The Ballon d'Or: Breaking down Kane’s record-breaking night and his case for football's ultimate individual prize. 14:55 – Key Takeaway 3: The Case for Jed Spence: Why it's time for England to stop improvising and back Spence at right-back. 16:13 – Looking Ahead to the Round of 32: Key details for England's next knockout match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

🤯 Will England FALTER? Injuries, Fracturing formations and defensive masterclass'

Straight from Thomas Tuchel's pre-match press conference from the Bowels of New York and the Metlife Stadium. In this episode, John and Harry break down more bombshells out of the England camp: the injuries and troubling news of Reece James' hamstring, the mood in the camp and what Panama could potentially turn up with! Plus, John gives his honest prediction on the result and matchday squad Tuchel will select for the game! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]