The Sporting Almanac Podcast

World Cup Series Ep. 8 - Are FIFA cheating? This episode wasn't meant to be like this. What was meant to be a gentle chat about World Cup moments past got a little out of hand, when frustration borne of the 2026 tournament so far came to the surface. We love football. Of course we do. It'sthe beautiful game, and it's our game. It's everyone's game. But while we haven't been quiet about our feeling...

World Cup Series Ep. 7 - World Cup XI In our latest World Cup episode, Ben and Jack go head to head taking it in turns to try and build their perfect World Cup team from the depths of the competitions history. Will they go modern or retro? Messi or Maradona, Ronaldo or Pelé? Do they throw caution to the wind or try and find some competitive balance? And just how many England '66 players can they s...

World Cup Series Ep. 6 - There's Only One Ronaldo Before Cristiano and Lionel, before Ronaldinho and Henry, there was Ronaldo. A man whose ability relative to his peers was so extraordinary it felt like a leap in football evolution. A man who redefined what it meant to be a footballer, whose as yet incomparable ability to create magic with pace, power and precision quite literally changed the game...

World Cup Series Ep. 5 - Andrés Escobar El Caballero del Fútbol - The Gentleman of Football - a nickname given to a centre back whose stature, calm head and elegance led him to the pinnacle of World Cup football amongst a generational team, only for their 1994 campaign to end in heartbreak and disaster beyond the scope of just the sport. Andrés Escobar was held in high regard both on and off the p...

World Cup Series Ep. 4 - Refereeing Controversy It is said referees have the hardest job in football. You can do your job perfectly 99.9% of the time, and have your entire career defined by the 0.1%. You are a figure of hatred, of derision, sometimes even of violent intent. But you lace up your boots, pick up your whistle and go again next week. As football fans, most of us can forgive minor mista...

World Cup Series Ep. 3 - FIFA's Corruption FIFA would claim that it is individuals that are corrupt, not the organisation itself. Well, our counter to that would be that an organisation that sets itself up with such a concentration of power amid a sea of wealth, with little oversight and so much money to be made cannot deflect blame when corruption becomes endemic. When Russia and Qatar were award...

World Cup Series Ep. 2 - Origin Story With the World Cup a little over 24 hours away, we talk about the tournament, its truly terrible format, and about exactly why it is coming home. We also delve into the World Cup and FIFA's origin stories, about Uruguay 1930 and how the tournaments finances have evolved to today - setting us up nicely for the next episode... -------------------------------- Cr...

World Cup Series Ep. 1 - The England Squad With the club season for English teams now done and dusted, we turn our attention for the next two months to the biggest stage of all - the FIFA World Cup. In the first part of our multi-part series, we discuss who we'd have picked for the England squad, our reaction to the selections made and our feelings about where England's strengths and weaknesses li...

The UEFA European Finals With one extraordinarily happy host in Ben, who has worn nothing but Arsenal shirts since the final whistle blew in Bournemouth last week, we preview the three European finals (even the one that already happened) as he hopes to go from obnoxiously delighted to utterly unbearable with a Gunners win in Budapest. But it's not just about Arsenal, far from it. We talk Europa an...

The EFL Playoffs The playoffs. The best, and the worst way to get promoted. A season coming down to one winner takes all match-up. The Championship final, the richest game in football, this year between Southampton and Hull City. Or so we all thought... The unexpected development of a football governing body growing a spine means that it will, pending appeal, be Middlesbrough playing Hull at Wembl...

Oil, Oligarchs and the FA Cup Final Football has changed a lot since the glory days of the FA Cup. Some things are better left in the past - muddy Wembley pitches, heavy footballs and serious injuries every other final. Other things are still sorely missed - breakfast time coverage on Cup Final morning, joyous pitch invasions, and the genuine belief that almost anyone could win it. That unpredicta...

The Cheerleading Worlds with Special Guest Kelly Loughlin The sport of cheerleading is probably a lot bigger than you think it is. In fact, for our British listeners, there is no sport growing faster amongst girls in our country, nor has there been for years. The number of competitors is now fast approaching six figures, across schools, universities and All-Star teams. Today, we are extraordinaril...

Boston and London Marathons 490 BC. Ancient Greece. A messenger with a funny name and patriotism surging through his veins spots a Persian ship alter its course towards Athens. He is in Marathon, 26 miles and 385-ish yards away from his nations capital, but decides to do the unthinkable. He sheds his armour, his sword, and (being Ancient Greek) the rest of his clothes too. He runs, he makes it, he...

The Sporting Almanac Birthday: The Masters and The Grand National To celebrate one whole year of the Sporting Almanac Podcast we go back to where it all began, ahead of the Grand National and with the Masters underway at Augusta National. We share some reflections on the year past, and a few new stories about the weekends two events too, including Larry Mize's legendary chip and the Race That Neve...

The Savannah Bananas and Banana Ball "The noblest art is that of making others happy." P.T. Barnum The purity of baseball is something a lot of people take very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that orthodox approaches will be followed until stadiums are empty, sponsors have left and the team owners move the team to pastures new in search of something different. Such had been the case over and ov...

The Boat Race There are some people to whom there is no bigger event in the sporting calendar than the University Boat Race. It would be a sweeping generalisation to suggest all of those people will be wearing gillet's and yelling received pronunciation support of their particular shade of blue, having started drinking as soon as the riverside pubs opened along the Thames. It is undoubtedly an eve...

Six Nations - England (A Post-Mortem) We don't usually do retrospectives on the Almanac. The vast majority of sporting engagement in our modern world is built around the sharing of opinion, frustration or adulation of thing's that have just happened, and it's normally not our style. But today, we make an exception as we release our final Six Nations episode, decidedly after the fact, and with its...

Six Nations - All-Time XV In a move not entirely lacking in self indulgence, Jack and Ben discuss, debate and select their all-time Six Nations XV from 26 years of the competition's history. Tune in to find the answers to the real big questions: Can two Englishmen bear to leave Martin Johnson on the bench? Which Jonny starts at fly half? How can Ben's heart really be telling him to leave Brian O’D...

The Six Nations - France Les Bleus. Brilliant. Erratic. Inconsistent. Wonderful. The Six Nations has been a rollercoaster for French rugby fans, early dominance followed by a dozen wilderness years that sparked fierce criticism and debate, triggering as so often happens in France, revolution. And that revolution, building up their domestic game, strengthening pathways and processes has given Franc...

2026 Formula 1 Season It's back, baby. And it's totally different from last year. More electrical power, lighter cars, active aero, boost buttons, less downforce, less grip - so far, the drivers aren't loving their new rides, but the real acid test will be at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, when we finally get to see whether these changes mean closer racing with no lost excitement. So set...

The Six Nations - Ireland In 52 completed Five Nations tournaments between the competition's resumption in 1947 and Italy's introduction in the year 2000, Ireland won six outright titles, four Triple Crowns and a lone Grand Slam in 1948. In the 26 seasons of the Six Nations they have won six outright titles, eight Triple Crowns and three Grand Slams, in 2009, 2018 and 2023. They beat New Zealand h...

The Six Nations - Scotland Scotland have never won the Six Nations. 26 seasons of unpredictability and occasional, unquestionable brilliance along the way, but their last tournament victory - a memorable, unforgettable one at that - lies all the way back in 1999 in the final edition of the old Five Nations Championship. There have been forgettable seasons along the way, for sure. Four wooden spoon...

The Six Nations - Italy 16 wins in 130 games in the Six Nations paints a picture of Italy as perennial whipping boys, fodder for the more established nations, perhaps even unworthy of their place at the top table of European and Northern Hemisphere Rugby Union. But it does not tell the full story of Italy's continuous and steady rise and genuine improvement since they first joined the competition...

The Six Nations - Wales It's only been five years since Wales last won the Six Nations, and only two more beyond that since their last Grand Slam in 2019. But for Welsh fans it probably seems a lifetime ago with the current team struggling for wins against even mid-ranked nations and threatening to be perpetual wooden spoonists in the Northern Hemisphere's premier Rugby Union competition. To say t...

Super Bowl LX - Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots The Super Bowl simply needs no introduction. It is, one way or another, the biggest event on the annual sporting calendar. Multi-million dollar advertisements, tickets in the tens of thousands of dollars and more, a half time show some people look forward to more than the football... and behind it all, you have two conference champions vyin...