On this week’s episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Pete, Tom Fordyce and Steve Sidwell are properly into the 2026 World Cup as the tournament shifts into full gear across the United States. With England now two games into the group stage, the lads look back on the electric atmosphere in Dallas for the win over Croatia before reacting to a much more frustrating goalless draw against Ghana in Los Angeles. Sid and Tom relive what it was like inside one of the biggest stadiums in world football, from the sea of England fans and giant screens to tequila in the stands, while Pete gives his take on whether England’s flat second performance is actually the kind of experience tournament-winning sides need.
There’s plenty of World Cup chat as the boys debate whether Thomas Tuchel’s England are showing real signs of becoming contenders, discuss why the draw with Ghana shouldn’t cause panic, and pick out the teams and players catching the eye so far. France, Argentina and the tournament’s biggest stars all come under the microscope, with Mbappé, Messi and Haaland setting the pace in what the lads call a proper “big dog World Cup”. There’s also a brilliant detour into one of the tournament’s strangest subplots: referees turning into full-blown content creators, complete with ref cams, names on shirts and one official pulling up with cramp after apparently overcommitting to the shot.
As always, the football is only half the story. The lads get stuck into another chaotic World Cup quiz, somehow producing one of the worst quiz scorelines in podcast history, while Chris Stark checks in from an England watch-along back home to report from the pub gardens of Britain. There’s also a brilliant fan cameo from rising artist Moolah Jones, who nails her score prediction almost immediately, and another outrageous instalment of Paddy Power’s “Minister of Mischief” game, featuring celebrity bet-builder picks from Joe Marler, John Terry… and, somehow, a suspiciously available LeBron James.
With England still well placed, more huge games on the horizon, and more guests lined up from the road, the boys reflect on the strange rhythms of tournament football, the joy of following England abroad, and why this World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining in years!
00:00 - Intro: formal names, “Big Sid” and school nicknames
02:14 - Sid’s Dallas trip and the incredible England atmosphere
03:21 - Are these the stadiums of the future?
04:34 - England’s draw with Ghana analysed
06:22 - Why the result doesn’t worry the lads
08:24 - Sid walks off to try and conjure an England goal
09:04 - Tequilas at the football and Crouchy’s Aston Villa story
10:36 - Ref cam chaos and the referee who got cramp
13:17 - Why this World Cup already feels different
13:44 - Cape Verde, underdog stories and the expanded tournament debate
17:43 - Who are the teams to beat? France, Argentina and Mbappé discussed
19:29 - Shakira has made more World Cup appearances than Italy
20:12 - Celebrity watch and the pod’s love from England fans in Dallas
22:17 - The World Cup quiz begins… badly
24:04 - Golden Boot records and geography nightmares
26:21 - Which host city has the most games?
28:30 - Chris Stark checks in from an England watchalong in the UK
30:45 - Moolah Jones predicts the score live on camera
32:03 - Paddy Power’s Minister of Mischief returns
35:19 - France vs Norway bet-builder chaos
36:06 - Joe Marler and John Terry send in their picks
38:07 - “LeBron James” joins the pod with his prediction
42:36 - Why this could become one of the best World Cups ever
42:56 - Festival tee's and Pablo Ángel lined up!
For more Peter Crouch:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/petercrouch
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Twitter - https://twitter.com/Chris_Stark
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisstark/
For more Steve Sidwell
Twitter - https://twitter.com/sjsidwell
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stevesidwell14
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