First Touch ’26 - Egypt
Egypt helped invent African football greatness, but the World Cup has never quite gone their way. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass charts the Pharaohs’ journey from early Olympic pioneers and 193...
7 Dec 202513min
First Touch ’26 - Iran
It’s hard to find a place where politics and football are more tightly intertwined than Iran. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces how Team Melli has become a symbol of both state power and pu...
7 Dec 202518min
First Touch ’26 - Austria
Once home to the “Wunderteam” and the legendary Matthias Sindelar, Austria’s greatest football tales used to live in black and white. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass connects that glorious past:...
7 Dec 202515min
First Touch ’26 - Ivory Coast
For many fans, Ivory Coast will always be the land of Drogba, the Touré brothers, and a golden generation that helped pause a civil war and made the Elephants a global cult favorite. In this World Cup...
7 Dec 202517min
First Touch ’26 - Panama
Panama’s World Cup history is short and brutal: one appearance, three losses, and a 32nd-place finish in 2018. But that’s only half the story. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into how a bas...
7 Dec 202512min
First Touch ’26 - Qatar
No country is more polarizing in modern football than Qatar. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass examines how a tiny, oil-rich Gulf state went from football afterthought to one of the game’s most in...
7 Dec 202516min
First Touch ’26 - France
For most countries, just qualifying for the World Cup is a dream. For France, it’s World Cup trophy or failure. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass dives into the story of Les Bleus: a global powerh...
3 Dec 202519min
First Touch ’26 - Japan
No national team on earth has built their modern football project quite like Japan. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass breaks down how the Samurai Blue went from late arrivals on the global stage t...
2 Dec 202516min
