Home and Away World Cup Special Episode 3

In this World Cup Special episode of Tottenham – Home and Away, Graeme is joined by returning guest Ben McFadyean — host of the Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London Podcast Ben was on for the Champions League preview in January prior to the meeting of Spurs and Dortmund, and he also did a really insigntful episode with us on Sebastian Kehl who was linked with Spurs. Ben is a dedicated Bundesliga writer who is a regular contributor for titles including Four Four Two, World Soccer Magazine, The Late Tackle, Flashscore and Ruhr Nachrichten. You can get access to his Podcast here - McFadyean.Podbean.com

Graeme and Ben discuss how the tournament has shifted from pre-tournament noise around politics, ticket prices, travel costs and commercialisation, back towards the football itself.

We look at the fan experience across the USA, Canada and Mexico, including the Scotland fans taking over Boston, the rise of World Cup fan culture online, the strange kick-off times, and why this tournament still feels distant and heavily Americanised compared with previous World Cups.

On the pitch, we discuss England under Thomas Tuchel, the draw with Ghana, the importance of beating Panama, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, squad depth and whether England can grow into the tournament. We also cover Scotland’s likely exit, Germany’s defeat to Ecuador, France’s strength, Messi and Argentina, Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, Portugal’s Ronaldo dilemma, Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story, and the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan and Norway as possible dark horses.

There is also a bigger conversation about what FIFA is doing to the game: hydration breaks, adverts, halftime shows, ticket prices, American stadium culture, VAR, refereeing, and whether the tournament has started to feel too far removed from traditional football.

Please like and subscribe for more World Cup specials from a Spurs perspective.

Come on England — and come on you Spurs.

Source: episode transcript

Timestamps

00:00 Intro — World Cup Special with Ben McFadyean 00:30 Ben returns to the podcast 00:45 The football finally takes over from the World Cup noise 01:27 Ticket prices, politics and fans embracing the tournament 02:41 US football culture and growing interest in the sport 03:35 Trump, the final and possible fan reaction 04:01 MLS, Inter Miami and memories of the NASL 05:46 Ticket access, corporate allocations and high prices 06:34 Strange World Cup kick-off times 07:28 Watching highlights vs live games 07:51 England shirt chat and Panama preview 08:27 England, Tuchel and breaking down defensive teams 09:21 Ben on making a Thomas Tuchel documentary 10:16 Tuchel’s personality in international football 10:45 Big calls, Bellingham and squad balance 11:08 Ghana’s Premier League links and defensive performance 12:03 Tournament football and handling pressure 12:39 England and arriving at the right moment 14:01 Why England should beat Panama 14:46 England’s squad depth and options 15:29 England negativity, VAR and avoiding defeat 16:08 England pressure and the Premier League spotlight 16:36 Scotland, Brazil and likely World Cup exit 17:33 Scotland fans and the Tartan Army 18:23 Euro 2024 memories and Scottish fan culture 19:22 Congo, Ecuador and fan passion 19:36 Germany vs Ecuador reaction 19:55 Germany’s overconfidence problem 21:13 German fan expectations and the new Adidas kit 22:15 Nagelsmann, Dennis Undav and Germany’s striker question 23:04 Germany’s likely route and France as a ceiling 23:33 France hammer Norway 23:46 Dembele, PSG and France’s quality 24:29 Messi, Argentina and superhuman longevity 25:56 Messi possibly wasted in MLS 26:10 Harry Kane and leaving Spurs for trophies 26:40 Seeing Messi at Wembley against Spurs 27:41 Argentina, France, England and Brazil as contenders 28:20 Brazil’s workmanlike style 29:24 Brazil 1982 and the magic of older Brazil sides 29:52 Carlo Ancelotti and modern Brazil 30:21 Vinicius Jr and Brazil’s attacking quality 31:00 Portugal and the Ronaldo dilemma 32:26 Why Portugal may come up short 33:47 Japan, Norway and Cape Verde 34:11 Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story 34:57 Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands 35:56 Dutch tournament harmony and attacking questions 36:21 Cape Verde and Curaçao as second Portuguese/Dutch teams 37:33 Gascoigne, Bournemouth and memories of Euro 96 38:11 Could England win under a German manager? 38:24 Graeme on Tuchel, nationality and England coaches 39:37 English managers abroad and Roy Hodgson memories 40:16 Why this World Cup feels like USA 94 40:44 Hydration breaks, music and American sports culture 41:42 Why the tournament feels distant in England 43:21 FIFA changes, adverts and hydration breaks 44:15 Shakira, halftime shows and traditional football culture 44:49 NFL stadium experience and commercial breaks 45:43 Why ITV is not showing adverts during hydration breaks 46:49 Emma Hayes’ tactical analysis 47:05 Heat, player welfare and whether hydration breaks are justified 48:19 Canada’s limited number of major games 49:14 Toronto, Vancouver and temporary stadium upgrades 49:48 Why more games should have been in Mexico 50:37 American stadiums and football feeling phony 51:06 Bundesliga fan culture vs American sport 52:06 World Cup pricing and fan disenfranchisement 53:04 Freddie, the German fan travelling around America 53:42 Citizen fan journalism and viral World Cup stories 54:10 FIFA ticket claims and empty seats 55:26 Strange red cards and refereeing issues 55:56 Referee names on shirts 56:27 Fans bringing life to the tournament 57:09 World Cup characters and viral supporters 58:07 Germany, England and looking ahead 58:34 Ben already missing club football 58:48 Spurs pre-season in Australia and New Zealand 59:27 Club football vs country football 01:00:46 Looking ahead to the next Euros and AFCON 01:01:39 Closing thoughts with Ben 01:01:57 Ben’s Myanmar shirt and family connection 01:02:12 Could Burma make a future expanded World Cup? 01:02:44 Outro — like, subscribe and come on England