Son Heung-min: South Korea’s football icon

Son Heung-min: South Korea’s football icon

South Korea's Son Heung-min is an icon and the captain of his national team, with the former Tottenham Hotspur forward holding the record for the most goals by an Asian player in both Premier League and UEFA Champions League history. Son tells Lee James it’s “crazy” and a “dream come true” to be playing in a fourth World Cup and is hoping the team can inspire the next generation. He also reflects on watching South Korea’s epic run at their home World Cup in 2002, as a child, and how crazy a time it was in the country, including getting days off school. Lee is also joined by David Oh from BBC News Korean who tells him that Son is the face of this generation of South Korean football and that he thinks he’s chasing the all time goal scoring record for the national team. 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.

Iliman Ndiaye: Senegal’s goal is to win World Cup 2026

Senegal and Morocco are widely viewed as Africa’s strongest sides at this World Cup. The BBC’s Isaac Fanin is in Los Angeles, while Lee James and John Bennett are in New York; they reflect on being at Morocco’s opening game against Brazil, and on the recent Afcon final between the two sides. Isaac has also spoken at length to Senegal and Everton midfielder Iliman Ndiaye, who tells him the team “never fear anyone” and that their goal is to win the World Cup. Senegal open their campaign against France in a repeat of their epic encounter at the 2002 World Cup, and Ndiaye says El Hadji Diouf – one of the stars of the 2002 team - has spoken to them about that famous victory. 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: Iran face New Zealand after months of uncertainty

After months of uncertainty, and doubts over whether they would participate in the World Cup, Iran get under way against New Zealand in Los Angeles. The team has faced visa problems and had to relocate their base camp to Mexico. The BBC’s Mani Djazmi discusses the issues around the team and their participation with Shahin Rahmani, a former football journalist and editor in Iran, who for the last 20 years has attended several World Cups as a FIFA security officer and is regularly consulted by the Iranian football federation. Actor and comedian Maz Jobrani also tells Mani how the Iranian-American community in LA feels about the national team. 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: Mauricio Pochettino's USA join the party

More Than The Score joins football fans across the United States as the hosts record a comfortable win in their World Cup opener against Paraguay. The United States joined co-hosts Mexico and Canada in hosting their first match of the tournament, recording a comfortable 4-1 victory at the Los Angeles Stadium. Lee James joins a watch along in a New York bar, while Isaac Fanin gauged the reaction of fans in the host city. 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.

Aston Moore: Do coaches get better with age?

Last year, the Caribbean island nation of Curacao qualified for the Fifa men's World Cup for the first time in their history - led by 78-year-old manager Dick Advocaat. He's now set to become the oldest man to ever coach at the finals, when he leads Curacao out against four-time world champions Germany. That got us thinking about how much experience matters for coaches. Does having decades of knowledge under your belt make you a better guide for young athletes - or less flexible and more set in your ways? Last November, More than the Score's Ed Harry talked to Aston Moore, a British athletics coach who's worked with dozens of elite Olympians and Paralympians, including two-time world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson. He turned 70 in February, but has no intention of retiring. He explains the importance of commitment and adaptability for coaches and the athletes in their care - and why he prefers to teach people by letting them work out the answers for themselves, rather than telling them what to do. Ed also hears from journalist Anthony Wootton, who discusses why sports organisations in North America seem to have more patience with their head coaches. All this summer, 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.