The Athletic FC Podcast

It’s Day 30 and France are into the semi-finals of the World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Morocco. Adam Leventhal is joined in the studio by Liam Twomey and Cerys Jones to discuss the first quarter-final and the Golden Boot race, with Kylian Mbappe now level with Lionel Messi on eight goals for the tournament. Adam Crafton drops in from Boston for this one. Man City correspondent Sam Lee also join...

On Sunday, The Athletic broke the world exclusive that USA striker Folarin Balogun's ban for the USMNT's round of 16 tie against Belgium had been suspended. Adam Crafton and Dan Sheldon, who broke the news, join Ian Irving and Cerys Jones to look back on the controversy, which included the involvement of US President Donald Trump calling FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the build-up to the USA's...

Argentina are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after an incredible comeback win against Egypt. Emma Paton is in the studio alongside The Athletic’s Mark Critchley and Liam Twomey to discuss how Lionel Scaloni’s side are able to look unconvincing, yet still win. James Horncastle drops in from Atlanta for this one. With Switzerland also through after beating Colombia on penalties, the...

The USMNT are out of the World Cup after defeat to Belgium. While the Folarin Balogun situation dominated the build-up, the headlines centre around the USA’s elimination, after falling to a 4-1 defeat in the Round of 16. Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic’s Jay Harris and Mark Critchley in the studio to dissect the match, with Henry Bushnell dropping by for immediate reaction from Seattle. Elsew...

England are through the quarter-final of the World Cup, following an instant classic in the Azteca against Mexico. Emma Paton is joined by Art De Roche and Cerys Jones to pick the bones out of England's 3-2 win over Mexico, with Jack Pitt-Brooke providing his take from Mexico City. Matt Slater also drops by from Times Square, reacting to Norway's 2-1 win over Brazil, to set-up Saturday's semi-fina...

It’s Day 24 and our focus is fully on England’s trip to the Azteca to take on Mexico. Adam Leventhal is joined by Cerys Jones and Liam Tharme to recap the World Cup action as Argentina edged past Cape Verde to secure their place in the Round of 16 - James Horncastle drops in from Miami for that one. In terms of England, there’s been plenty of drama in the build-up to this one. Kick-off is still 1A...

Newcastle United are set to receive £100m for midfielder Sandro Tonali, but where does that leave their aspirations? Adam Leventhal is joined by Cerys Jones and Art De Roche to discuss the latest at the World Cup and in the transfer window. David Ornstein reports on Tonali's imminent move to Spurs, before we look at the latest from the World Cup with Matt Slater recapping an enthralling 2-1 win fo...

England left it late but got the job done, thanks to Harry Kane. Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic's Carl Anka and Liam Twomey after England's emotional come-from-behind win against DR Congo as our England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke poses the question; is Kane England's greatest player ever? Away from England's win, the USA and Belgium also progressed to face one another in the Round of...

France's superstars continue to sparkle, as Kylian Mbappe's brace helped to see off Sweden 3-0 in at the MetLife. Emma Paton is joined by Mark Critchley and Carl Anka to discuss France's free-flowing attack with Adam Crafton also posing the question: are France unstoppable? We also hear from Felipe Cardenas after Mexico's 2-0 win over Ecuador setting up a potential Round of 16 clash with England....

Four-time World Cup winners Germany are out. So too are the Netherlands and Japan after a dramatic day at the World Cup. Emma Paton is alongside Mark Critchley and Cerys Jones to look back on the action. Matt Slater shares his view from Boston after seeing Germany dumped out on penalties, losing their first-ever World Cup shootout to Paraguay. David Ornstein joins us to discuss the latest in the t...

Canada saw off South Africa as the knockout stages got underway at the World Cup, with some big games to come on Day 19. Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Liam Tharme as they assess Canada's win with Josh Kloke explaining the significance of a knockout victory for the co-hosts. There's then a look at the World Cup bracket with the panel making their predictions as to who will...

Despite a 2-0 win over Panama with Jude Bellingham playing a crucial role, Thomas Tuchel's England still lack conviction. Joining Adam Leventhal to get stuck into England's final group stage performance are Tim Spiers and Art De Roche, with Jack Pitt-Brooke sharing his thoughts from the MetLife Stadium. With the group stage now completed there's also discussion around some of the big talking point...

The transfer window is truly up and running as Manchester City have agreed a £116million deal to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest - the most ever paid for a British player. Adam Leventhal is joined in-studio by Cerys Jones and Tim Spiers to discuss the massive move for the England midfielder. Football correspondent David Ornstein drops in for the latest details on the deal, and Man City...

Brazil broke Scottish hearts on day 14 at the World Cup, running out 3-0 winners to leave the Scots' hopes of securing qualification hanging by a thread. Adam Leventhal is joined by Cerys Jones and Carl Anka to react to just how strong Brazil are, with James Horncastle highlighting the demeanour of boss Carlo Ancelotti. Canada saw their hopes of staying on home soil in the knockout phases slip thr...

The storylines keep on flowing at this summer’s World Cup, this time, the goals dried up for England in a 0-0 draw with Ghana in Group L. Emma Paton is joined in-studio by Carl Anka and Liam Twomey as we discuss the World Cup action on Day 14. Jack Pitt-Brooke drops by to try and explain why Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to break down Ghana. Plus, Nick Miller reports from Houston on the day Crist...

As the World Cup ticks over to Day 13, the summer transfer window is still making waves. Emma Paton is joined in-studio by Mark Critchley and Tim Spiers as we discuss the World Cup action as well as getting the latest from David Ornstein on the midfield merry-go-round. With Sandro Tonali, Lucas Bergvall, Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Alex Scott potentially on the move, the dominos are star...

With 121 goals scored across 40 games, the excitement just keeps coming at this summer's World Cup. To dive into the latest action, Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Mark Critchley and Cerys Jones. Pol Ballus reports from Atlanta after seeing Spain secure their first win of the tournament. Attention also turns to both France and Argentina ahead of their second group matches with both having p...

It’s Day 10 of the World Cup, and the USMNT are through to the knockouts after a 2-0 win over Australia. Ian Irving is joined in-studio by Liam Twomey and Liam Tharme as we discuss another impressive performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Henry Bushnell drops in to give the lowdown from Seattle and asks if the USA can actually go all the way.  We catch up with James Horncastle who was i...

While all eyes are on the World Cup, the summer transfer window is also now beginning to hot up! Ian Irving is joined in-studio by Jay Harris and Tim Spiers as we discuss the latest from the World Cup as well as checking in with David Ornstein on the latest on the transfer front. With Liverpool confirming the signing of Victor Munoz what could it mean for their pursuit of Yan Diomande, while Spurs...

England's World Cup started with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia, with Harry Kane scoring twice. Emma Paton is joined by Liam Twomey and Liam Tharme to react to England's performance, especially as they burst into life in the second half, with England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke sharing his thoughts from Dallas. Nick Miller in Houston reports on Cristiano Ronaldo's disappointing tournament o...

The stars have arrived at the World Cup! After Kylian Mbappe became France's all time top scorer with a brace against Senegal, Lionel Messi did Lionel Messi things, scoring a hat-trick against Algeria to equal Miroslav Klose's record for World Cup goals. Join Emma Paton, Mark Critchley and Liam Twomey as they reflect on a day where the superstars truly arrived, as Erling Haaland also made his mark...

Day five of the World Cup saw all four matches end in draws, including Cape Verde's shock 0-0 stalemate against European champions Spain. Adam Leventhal is joined in-studio by Jay Harris and Mark Critchley with our England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke providing the latest from the Three Lions camp in Kansas City, including dressing room dynamics and selection dilemmas for Thomas Tuchel. Pol Ball...

Day four of the World Cup saw no fewer than 19 goals, while away from the tournament Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Marc Cucurella from Chelsea. Adam Leventhal is joined in-studio by Charlie Eccleshare and Tim Spiers with David Ornstein dropping by to discuss Real Madrid's deal to sign Cucurella, how Jose Mourinho is looking to rebuild at the Bernanbeu and how the deal impacts Chelsea....

Join Adam Leventhal, Art de Roché and Tim Spiers as they reflect on the USMNT's thrashing of Paraguay, before turning their attention to whether Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil can win a sixth World Cup ahead of their opening fixture against Morocco. Plus, we hear from Henry Bushnell who was at Los Angeles Stadium & Jordan Campbell drops by to preview Scotland's opener against Haiti. Access to all of...

The 2026 World Cup is underway! Join Adam Leventhal, Art de Roché and Cerys Jones as they reflect on an eventful opening day before asking why the USA have never produced a truly global superstar. Jack Lang was at Estadio Azteca and recounts Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa that saw him showered in beer, while Henry Bushnell looks ahead to the USMNT’s opener against Paraguay. Plus, we hear f...