Summer '26: A Global Soccer Showdown

The hosts are gone, and the heavyweights are left. On the eve of the quarterfinals, Gary Striker and The Qooligan first hold a post-mortem on a chastening round of 16: the USA's flat exit to Belgium — capped by a nightmare goalkeeping error and a record US audience — as all three host nations bowed out in the same round, two fighting and one, sadly, with a whimper. Cue some honest soul-searching a...

What a night at the Azteca. On this round-of-16 recap, Gary Striker and The Qooligan relive England's heroics — a late-night, weather-delayed classic in which the Three Lions stunned Mexico despite going down to ten men, with Jude Bellingham at another level and Harry Kane playing both hero and villain. Add in Jordan Pickford's saves, Gilberto Mora announcing himself at seventeen, and eleven nerve...

Gary's back from the road, and the knockouts are heating up. Reunited with The Qooligan, the guys preview a round of 16 they think is ripe for upsets — starting with the big one: Mexico to beat England. Between the altitude, the Azteca, a home side that hasn't conceded all tournament, and an England team that looked like a deer in headlights against DR Congo, both hosts land on the same bold call...

The real test starts now. With Gary away, The Qooligan sits down with journalist Ben Jacobs — who's been following the US men's national team all tournament — for a proper deep dive into Pochettino's side ahead of their win-or-go-home round-of-32 tie with Bosnia. It's a chance to end a drought of more than two decades since the USMNT last won a World Cup knockout game. Ben lays out exactly what th...

The group stage is in the books — and the real World Cup starts now. With Gary away, The Qooligan welcomes back fellow referee and Hooligan contributor Nick Britten of the Road to World Cup 26 podcast for a wide-ranging look back at a record-breaking opening act and ahead to a mouthwatering round of 32. Did 48 teams water the tournament down? Not a chance, the guys argue — the expanded format kept...

The USA showed their cracks — and the timing couldn't be worse. On Day 15 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan dig into a sobering defeat to a dead-rubber Türkiye that exposed the very weaknesses their two opening wins had papered over: shaky defensive communication, flat spells, and a last-minute collapse The Qooligan likens to Sunday-league defending. With a Bosnia side that loves a...

Decision Day keeps delivering — and the upsets are piling up. On Day 14 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down a chaotic round of group finales before previewing today's deciders. The headline shock: South Africa dumped a flat, much-changed South Korea out of the tournament, completing a stunning vindication of the side everyone wrote off — and leaving Son Heung-min's men as T...

Decision Day is here — and from now on, every group plays out at the same time. On Day 13 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan tee up the group-stage finale, headlined by the fixture they've been circling all tournament: Scotland vs. Brazil in Miami. Samba meets the Tartan Army under the Hard Rock roof, and Gary's heading to the game himself — desperate for Scotland to find a moment an...

The strikers struck — and one of them is still stuck on zero. On the final day of the group stage's second round, Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down a glorious day of goals on Day 12 of World Cup 2026. Kylian Mbappé looks reborn in a France shirt, silencing the doubters (and the petition) with a brilliant display against Iraq. Lionel Messi scored twice to break the all-time World Cup goalsco...

Spain have woken up — and Argentina are next on the clock. On Day 11 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down a Spain side that finally clicked against Saudi Arabia, then turn to today's blockbuster slate and ask whether Argentina can push on against a tougher-than-it-looks Austria. Gary's all-in on Messi's men as his new favorites; The Qooligan plays contrarian, warning that th...

It's a World Cup of goalkeepers — and two dads are here for it. On a Father's Day edition, Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down Day 10 of World Cup 2026, where the story keeps coming back to the men between the posts. Curaçao's Eloy Room produced a jaw-dropping 15-save display to hold Ecuador and grab a historic point, while Bart Verbruggen's seven saves underlined a Dutch side rolling Sweden...

The USA basically won twice on Friday — and only played once. On Day 9 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan explain how a Pulisic-less USA ground out a comfortable win over Australia, then watched Paraguay's stunning upset of Türkiye hand them top spot outright on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Now Pochettino can rest Pulisic's tender calf, wipe his yellow-card risks clean, and give the...

One week in, and the World Cup has found its rhythm. Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down a dramatic Day 8 of World Cup 2026 — starting with the question hanging over tonight's USA game: will Australia simply try to kick Christian Pulisic out of it? With Pulisic downgraded to questionable and a history of being hammered by the Socceroos, Pochettino faces a real call — and the guys dig into why...

Messi changed the conversation. On Day 7 of World Cup 2026, journalist Zach Lowy joins Gary Striker and The Qooligan after a masterclass that has Argentina installed as many people's new favorites — and the guys debate whether the defending champions have leapfrogged France. Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Algeria didn't just light up Kansas; it drew him level with Miroslav Klose's all-time World...

France want to defend their crown, Argentina want to do it again — and Hayters TV's Nick Callow joins Gary Striker and The Qooligan from London to break down a blockbuster Day 6 of World Cup 2026. All eyes are on Mbappé. Ahead of France vs. Senegal — a fixture that should've been a quarterfinal — the guys unpack his striking admission that he needs to be better defensively and more of a team playe...

Sweden suddenly look like a problem. On Day 5 of World Cup 2026, Gary Striker and The Qooligan dig into a goal-soaked Sunday led by the Isak–Gyökeres partnership — a near-quarter-billion-dollar strike pairing that tore Tunisia apart and helped get Tunisia's coach sacked one game in. The guys make the case that Sweden have leapt up the contenders list, even in a true group of death. There was histo...

Saturday delivered the shock of the tournament — and Gary Striker and The Qooligan break it all down on Day 4 of World Cup 2026. Australia stunned a gifted Türkiye side, and The Qooligan — a referee himself, fresh off officiating his own games all weekend — makes the case that it was a masterclass in management: Tony Popovic's switch to a back five, a bold goalkeeper gamble that paid off with eigh...

The USMNT came out storming — and Gary Striker and The Qooligan are still buzzing. On Day 3 of World Cup 2026, the guys break down a scintillating American performance against Paraguay: Christian Pulisic running riot down the left, Folarin Balogun's top-bins screamer, and a Gio Reyna stunner at the death — built off twenty-odd passes — that blew the roof off SoFi. The Qooligan, a referee himself,...

Day two of World Cup 2026, and the tournament already has its first heartbreak, its first ad-break punchline, and a game that somehow produced more red cards than goals. Gary Striker and The Qooligan — a referee himself — break down a wild opening 24 hours. Mexico got the result against South Africa, but not the performance. We unpack Julián Quiñones' one-man show, Raúl Jiménez finally scoring his...

This is it. The World Cup is here — and on kickoff morning, Gary Striker and The Qooligan break down everything that's actually changing about the game you're about to watch. First, the rules. And there are a lot of them: the new substitution clampdown that punishes time-wasting, the straight red card for the hand-over-mouth taunt, VAR reviews on second yellows, captain-only conversations with the...

The World Cup kicks off tomorrow — so on the eve of the biggest summer in soccer, Gary Striker and The Qooligan zoom all the way out for a continental macro view: all ten African nations heading to World Cup 2026, group by group. Morocco headline the continent's hopes — red-hot, deep, and carrying real semifinal expectations after their run to the AFCON final, with Hakimi, Brahim Díaz and Bono lea...

Two days to kickoff, and the South American contenders are anything but settled. Gary Striker and The Qooligan are joined by Nathan Joyes — South American football journalist and host of The Copa Club Podcast — to go nation by nation through the continent's hopes at World Cup 2026. Is this the weakest Brazil side in a generation? Nathan argues that finishing fifth in qualifying, Ancelotti's stubbo...

World Cup week is finally here — and before a single ball is kicked, we're getting our money's worth. Gary Striker and The Qooligan are joined by Devin Crittenden of The Soccer Sharps (and the World Cup spin-off Capping the Cup) for a betting-brain preview of Summer '26: who to back, who to fade, and where the value's actually hiding. Devin makes his case for Spain as the best team on the planet,...

Two of the big eight. Two very different summers ahead. Gary Stryker and The Qooligan are joined by Nick Britten — co-host of Road to World Cup 26 and Hooligan Soccer Contributor — to break down France and England's groups, squads, and the pathways that could make or break their tournaments. France look frightening: Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise, Barcola, and Deschamps chasing one last trophy before he w...

summary Join Gary Striker and The Qooligan as they analyze the upcoming FIFA World Cup, focusing on Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. They discuss team histories, key players, group dynamics, and strategic insights to enhance your understanding of tournament football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices