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The Soccernomics Podcast

Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 7 Episodes Aug 20, 2026

Get ready for the World Cup through the lens of Soccernomics. It's a New York Times Bestseller, but it's also a way of looking at the game that uncovers its hidden truths. Featuring Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra.

Episodes

Why Are Sports Teams Suddenly Worth So Much Money? Aug 20, 2026 00:33:10 From Liverpool to the Lakers: its been a big week in the world of sports team ownership. Mark Walter's sale of his controlling stake of the Lakers, just 14 months after he bought it raised eyebrows in the NBA - as did the 25% profit he pocketed. Just days later Jeff Bezos bought 30% of Liverpool FC.The sales are just the latest examples of a recent trend of sports teams going for whopping prices -

Mailbag Part II: Soccer vs Football, Colonialism & Pay to Play Aug 18, 2026 00:51:02 Stefan fights off the haters when it comes to his position on Soccer v Football. Seriously, if you haven't read his book, "It's Football, Not Soccer (And Vice Versa), co-authored with Silke-Maria Weineck. We also discuss the WAFCON, the effects of colonialism, pay to play, and compare the times FIFA has gotten into bed with dictators around the world.

Mailbag: Penalties, the European Super League & Match Momentum Graphs Aug 13, 2026 00:40:03 In our first listener questions episode, we get into a variety of topics - from penalties, to the European Super League and those weird "Match Momentum" graphs FOX kept showing during World Cup matches in the US. If you've written to us and didn't get your question answered, don't worry - we will be doing another one of these episodes very soon!

Kieran Maguire on Infantino, FIFA and Ebbsfleet United Aug 11, 2026 00:45:06 A momentous day for The Soccernomics Podcast: Our first guest. Kieran Maguire, one of the world's leading football finance experts, and the author of "The Price is Football" joins Stefan and Ashish for a wide-ranging chat. Topics range from Infantino, to private equity, and the turmoil at Ebbsfleet United.

Will Gianni Infantino Resign? Aug 6, 2026 00:29:57 Since we last recorded, the pressure has been mounting on Gianni Infantino. Though he retreated from his botched World Cup sell-off plan, many want more - his resignation. From the internal dissent within FIFA, to the opposition to Infantino's leadership from various national football associations and continental confederations - we discuss it all, and consider the fundamental question of whet

Amid FIFA Sell-Off Fiasco, A Reminder That World Cups Save Lives [Rerun] Aug 4, 2026 00:23:51 Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. Though we promise, this is ultimately an uplifting and hopeful story. As the fallout from Gianni Infantino's botched attempt to sell a share of the World Cup continues, we'll be coming to you with a new episode about it on Thursday. In the meantime, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to republish an episode we first put out in May

Will Infantino's World Cup Plan Tear FIFA and UEFA Apart? Jul 30, 2026 00:30:10 In a shock move on Tuesday, FIFA announced plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), a new subsidiary which would sell all of FIFA’s commercial rights and run its major events, such as the World Cup. But the most significant part of the plan is that FIFA would then sell off up to 21% of the company to private investors. The idea has been met with sharp criticism, especially from the governin

Why Does Western Europe Dominate Global Football? [Rerun] Jul 28, 2026 00:33:29 We're taking a little breather this week, catching our breath from the World Cup. But we'll be back with new episodes very soon. Until then, we thought we'd republish an episode we did before the tournament began. It's one that seems very relevant again after Spain won the World Cup - Why Western Europe dominates global soccer. This episode first aired on June 9th. None of the time

Who's to Blame for England's Collapse? Jul 23, 2026 00:32:05 We had to talk about that England collapse, and the fallout that's followed. Thomas Tuchel has received most of the blame. But is that fair? Was it more on the players, or was it a combination of various factors?

World Cup Recap: Spain Reigns Supreme Jul 21, 2026 00:29:42 After a 1-0 win over Argentina, Spain added to their Women's World Cup title in 2023, and now hold the Men's title as well. What is it about Spanish football that's bringing it so much success? We also discuss how Argentina became this World Cup's villains...

Live Show at House of GOAL Ahead of England-Argentina Jul 16, 2026 00:28:58 Our first live show at the House of GOAL Festival in Industry City, New York. We previewed the England-Argentina match, which took place right after we got off stage, and also talked about the World Cup so far through the lens of Soccernomics.

Bellingham and Kane: England's Most Influential World Cup Duo? Jul 14, 2026 00:18:42 Simon Kuper rejoins the pod amid his World Cup travels to share his takeaways from the tournament so far. The gang discuss the impact of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane on the tournament, and whether they've ever seen anything like it from English superstars.

Was Egypt Robbed by VAR? And What's Wrong With US Men's Soccer? Jul 9, 2026 00:37:50 We discuss the most controversial match of the tournament so far - Egypt v Argentina. Is there a bias towards Argentina? We also discuss the fallout from the US Men's National Team crashing out of the tournament. Where does US Men's Soccer go from here?

England-Mexico Recap + Trump's Balogun Call Jul 7, 2026 00:31:28 Does it get much better than that England-Mexico match? Somehow the most hyped match of the tournament exceeded expectations. Stefan and Ashish break it down, discuss whether Western Europe is slowly taking over the tournament, and get into Donald Trump's controversial call to Gianni Infantino to allow Flo Balogun to paly against Belgium.

Harry Kane Saves England. But Can They Handle the Azteca? Jul 2, 2026 00:32:43 Moments after the final whistle, we break down the classic England-Democratic Republic of Congo R32 match, and look ahead to England's blockbuster meeting with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. We also reassess whether this has been a tournament of upsets, and discuss the concept of 'inevitability' in sports.

Brazil Survives, Africa Shines, Iran Suffers Injustice Jun 30, 2026 00:31:36 After an eventful Brazil-Japan match, Stefan and Ashish talk about the success of African teams at this World Cup so far, and the unfair treatment the Iranian team faced at the hands of FIFA and the tournament's main hosts, the United States.Note: As a reminder, this episode was recorded before the Germany-Paraguay and Morocco-Netherlands matches.

How Much Do Managers Really Matter? Jun 25, 2026 00:33:55 After Ashish makes Stefan listen to his experience watching Ghana hold England to a draw, they talk about how much managers really matter, with particular focus on England and Brazil at this World Cup.

How Far Can Cape Verde Go? Jun 23, 2026 00:22:40 After Stefan takes us back to the 1974 Poland-West Germany World Cup match, we talk about the fairytale story of Cape Verde so far, and discuss how far they can go in this year's tournament. We also talk more broadly about smaller countries like Portugal, Croatia and Palestine, whose teams have long overachieved based on their populations, GDP and global football experience. Email us with your

Dual National Players: A Win for Africa, Europe, or Both? Jun 18, 2026 00:20:37 We discuss the latest games, the geopolitics around the Iraqi and Iranian teams, and the debate over who is gaining most from dual national players.

The Socceroos and USMNT: Can Diverse National Teams Drive Social Change? Jun 16, 2026 00:30:53 In our first episode since the World Cup we discuss some of the surprise results so far, and highlight the great start for the Socceroos and their young star, Nestory Irankunda - who like two of his teammates - was born in a refugee camp in Africa before he and his family were granted asylum in Australia. We debate whether the success of multicultural teams like the Socceroos and the US can change

World Cup Predictions: On the Pitch and Off Jun 11, 2026 00:30:26 The World Cup is here, and we're here to preview it all. Stefan has done a mind-boggling 20,000 simulations of the tournament, and yet somehow there is still no scenario where Haiti wins it all. We also talk into the political backdrop, with Ashish and Stefan talking about their recent piece for The Economist, about how this could be the last World Cup. Link below:https://www.economist.com/by-

Why Does Little Western Europe Rule International Soccer? Jun 9, 2026 00:32:33 When Simon and Stefan first wrote Soccernomics, they predicted that the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey and Iraq were destiened to become the kings of the sport. That turned out to be wrong...well, so far at least. Instead, ove the last five World Cups, Argentina is the only non-European team to have finished in the top three. So what's behind Europe's (specifically Western Europe's) domi

Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 2) Jun 4, 2026 00:17:07 Part two of our discussion from Tuesday, we discuss antitrust, player unions the differences between player unions in Europe and the US, and compare the transfer system to the NIL in American college sports.

Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 1) Jun 2, 2026 00:25:53 Today we're talking football's transfer market - a topic Stefan is so passionate about, we've had to split it into two parts. In this one, he makes the case for why world football's transfer market is a form of human trafficking. Hear him out before you dismiss it as hyperbole...

Game Theory: The Hidden Science Behind Penalty Shootouts May 28, 2026 00:30:54 Every World Cup has at least one memorable penalty shootout. And this weekend's Champions League Final in Budapest between PSG and Arsenal might as well. Is there a science behind the drama? We unpack it all in today's episode, where we also learn about Ashish's childhood goalkeeping exploits, and how Simon almost helped the Netherlands to World Cup glory in 2010.

Do World Cups Save Lives? May 26, 2026 00:22:47 Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide.It's an eternal story told about soccer - that when Brazil gets knocked out of World Cups, Brazilians jump off apartment buildings. But is it really true? And could football actually be saving lives rather than leading to an increase in suicides? Need help?If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 in the U.S

Why England Never Win - But Might Be Getting Closer May 21, 2026 00:32:41 We all know the story. Incredible hype around England at a World Cup or European Championship, and then inevitable letdown. 60 years of hurt. But since 2018, England has actually done a lot better. Is England finally going to get over the hump? Or were recent tournaments actually missed opportunities? We discuss the expectations around England, and whether they've been realistic given the economic

What is Soccernomics? May 19, 2026 00:28:26 What is Soccernomics? In our first episode we discuss how Simon and Stefan first met, the debate over Football v Soccer, and how fans have the power to take back this summer's World Cup from Donald Trump.

Introducing: The Soccernomics Podcast May 18, 2026 00:01:13 Get ready for the World Cup through the lens of Soccernomics. It's a New York Times Bestseller, but it's also a way of looking at the game that uncovers its hidden truths. Featuring Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra.

The Soccernomics Podcast

Episodes

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