Copa Independent

With 2026 set to be by far the most expensive World Cup ever to attend, we investigate how it's got to this - and what it means for the future. This isn't just from being in an expensive United States right now. Fifa have been significant drivers, mostly through ticket prices but also some of the deals struck for the tournament, raising further questions about their leadership of the sport. We also speak to Thomas Concannon of the Football Supporters Association, who spells out exactly how difficult this is for fans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the World Cup returns to America, it would not have been possible without the spectacular success of USA 94.

That was actually a huge gamble at the time, but more than paid off - in multiple ways. A colourfully open tournament was the consequence of unique factors coming together at once, but also changed the World Cup for the future.

A tournament full of soul had an immense commercial legacy - right up to the Glazers taking over Manchester United.

We discuss that and so much more from a tournament packed with storylines and moments, like whether Brazil were actually good winners, whether Baggio’s legacy has been enhanced by that miss and if a World Cup is better without England.
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In the last 15 months alone, the build-up to this World Cup has brought more unprecedented developments than any previous tournament in history, above all a host nation bombing a participant through the Iran war. That raises many questions, right up to what influence Donald Trump is going to have on how this World Cup develops. But there's also another: if any other country was responsible, would there be calls for a boycott? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since England won the World Cup in 1966, they have not been back to another men’s final, appearing in only two semi-finals in 1990 and 2018 in their closest attempts at repeating the feat.

So, as the 2026 World Cup approaches, on the 60th anniversary of that famous Wembley win, should England have won more tournaments with the talent and resources at their disposal? And can Thomas Tuchel finally end the wait this summer?

In the second episode of The Independent’s World Cup podcast, sports writers Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Kieran Jackson discuss which past tournaments England could have won, why they’ve underdelivered and whether the neurosis of 60 years of hurt can ever be overcome.
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For the first edition of our weekly Copa Independent podcast, we are looking at the very meaning of the World Cup itself, and the two sides of the biggest cultural event in human history. But why has it got to that level? Why does it feel like nothing else in sport? Has it fulfilled the ideals of its creators? What would Jules Rimet, who envisioned a competition to bring mankind together, think of how it is now politically used? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.