First Touch '26 World Cup Podcast

Small but mighty, Croatia are the ultimate World Cup overachievers. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of a national team less than three decades old that’s already reached three semifinals and one final—an absurd record for a country of under four million people. We trace how Croatian football grew out of the Yugoslav era, from Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb’s “Eternal Derby” a...

Belgium’s golden generation has come and gone, but the Red Devils still go as Kevin De Bruyne goes. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass looks at how a reshaped Belgium is trying to move past the dysfunction and disappointment of 2022 and write a new story in North America. We track the rise from early Olympic success to the first golden age of the 1980s, then the star-studded 2014–2018 era that...

Is Football Coming Home? For England, every major tournament starts with that exact question. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into the story of the Three Lions as they head into 2026 under new manager Thomas Tuchel, fresh off a flawless qualifying campaign with 22 goals scored and none conceded. We trace England’s role as the birthplace of modern football, the rise of the Premier League...

For generations, the World Cup script was simple: 22 players chase a ball for 90 minutes and, somehow, Germany end up in the semifinal. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces how Die Mannschaft became the sport’s ultimate tournament machine. With four World Cup titles, four runner-up finishes, and 13 semifinal runs, before stumbling out in the group stage in both 2018 and 2022. We revisit th...

South Korea doesn’t just show up at World Cups. They live there. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass looks at the Taeguk Warriors’ 11th straight appearance on the world stage and what could be the last dance for beloved superstar Son Heung-min. We relive the fairy-tale of 2002: co-hosting with Japan, Guus Hiddink’s revolutionary methods, a golden run through Italy and Spain, and the explosion of...

The World Cup has a new debutant: Jordan’s Al-Nashama, “the chivalrous ones,” finally stepping onto the biggest stage. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass unpacks how a country better known for Petra and the Jordan River quietly built a serious football culture, from British-introduced games in the 1920s and early regional success to near-misses like the 2014 playoff defeat to Uruguay. We revisi...

Tunisia are about to play their seventh World Cup—more than almost any African nation—but the Eagles of Carthage still feel oddly overlooked. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass explores how football grew under French occupation, how early Tunisian-only clubs became hubs of resistance, and how a strong domestic league laid the foundation for one of Africa’s most consistent performers. We revisit...

To find Cape Verde on a map, you have to keep zooming in. This is what the football world has had to do to understand: how the tiny Atlantic archipelago became a World Cup nation. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces the Blue Sharks’ rise from post-independence minnows to AFCON regulars and, finally, first-time World Cup qualifiers. We explore how a country of just over half a million peop...

No team at this World Cup carries a heavier off-field burden, or a purer sense of joy, than Haiti. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the Grenadiers’ impossible run from a country in deep political and humanitarian crisis, where the national team hasn’t played a home game since 2021 and even the coach has never set foot in Haiti during qualifying. We go back to 1974 and Emman...

Some national teams have flair; Paraguay has garra guaraní: Guaraní grit. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into how La Albirroja’s identity was forged in the fires of the War of the Triple Alliance and lives on today in a team built on resilience, defensive steel, and a refusal to go quietly. From William Paats bringing a ball back from Buenos Aires and founding Club Olimpia, to quarterf...

Kickback 26 is your front-row seat to the 2026 World Cup. Hosted by David Gass, Claudia Pagan, Heath Pearce, and Eric Krakauer, this podcast breaks down every World Cup group with a mix of tactical insight, big-picture context, and a healthy dose of banter. From host-nation pressure on Mexico, Canada and USA to dark horses, “groups of chaos,” and which third-place teams might sneak through, the Co...

Spain has only lifted the World Cup once, but La Roja seem omnipresent in every tournament conversation—and 2026 will be no different. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces the arc from Spain’s 19th-century football origins and Civil War-era politics, through decades of underachievement, to the tiki-taka golden age that produced Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012 in one breathtaking f...

They shocked the world by toppling Messi’s Argentina in 2022; now Saudi Arabia is trying to prove that was no one-off. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the Green Falcons—from the early days of English sailors kicking a ball around the Gulf, through Asian Cup dominance and a magical 1994 run in the United States, to years of stop-start progress on the global stage. We break...

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 1934 World Cup trailblazers to record seven-time AFCON champions. We revisit the Cairo derbies between Al Ahly and Zamalek, the ultras who helped power the Arab Spring, and the tragic stadium disasters t...

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 public resistance—from the 1998 “game of peace” win over the United States, to the emotionally charged 2022 rematch played amid the Mahsa Amini protests and reports of pressure from the regime. We walk...

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: 1930s brilliance, a 1954 semifinal run, and the “Miracle of Córdoba” win over West Germany, to a modern side finally returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. We explore how Ralf Rang...

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 Capsule, David Gass revisits that era and then shifts to the present, where Côte d’Ivoire enter 2026 as defending African champions and one of the continent’s most exciting teams. We track their evol...

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 baseball country slowly built a football identity. Gary Stempel, who helped launch a generation, to steady growth in the Gold Cup, Nations League, and a spirited 2024 Copa América run. We revisit the nig...

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 influential players—from the creation of Aspire Academy and an aggressive naturalization strategy, to ownership stakes in European clubs and the era-defining takeover of PSG. We revisit the controversie...

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 powerhouse with two World Cups, two Euros, and a conveyor belt of stars that runs from Just Fontaine and Michel Platini to Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé. We trace France’s boom-or-bust history, from the...

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 to qualifying for eight straight World Cups, and becoming the first team to punch their ticket to 2026. We go back to the sport’s arrival in the 19th century, the influence of the manga Captain Tsubasa...

Step into Senegal and you immediately feel teranga: the Wolof concept of warmth, welcome, and generosity and nowhere is that spirit more alive than with the Lions of Teranga. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces Senegal’s journey from a quiet post-independence footballing nation to global darlings after their legendary upset of France in 2002, and on through the heartbreak of the 2018 fair...

The tiny island nation at the edge of the world, New Zealand is famous for the All Blacks, the second most dominant team in rugby history. But in 2026, it’s the All Whites chasing history. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass charts how a rugby-mad country with an almost entirely amateur domestic soccer setup keeps punching above its weight, from early tours in the 1900s to gritty World Cup appea...

For decades, Ecuadorian football has wrestled with belief, from being late to the World Cup party, short on trophies, but always rich in passion. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass explores how "La Tri" have quietly built one of South America’s most intriguing sides, going from perennial outsiders to finishing near the top of a brutal CONMEBOL qualifying, even after starting with a points deduc...

Once a Soviet republic and Silk Road crossroads, Uzbekistan has become one of world football’s most fascinating late bloomers. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the White Wolves: a team long haunted by near-misses and bizarre heartbreaks, like a World Cup qualifier that had to be annulled and replayed, a spot in Brazil 2014 lost by a single goal and a marathon penalty shooto...