The Soccernomics Podcast

Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra

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.

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 30 min
Will Infantino's World Cup Plan Tear FIFA and UEFA Apart?
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 governing body of football in Europe - UEFA - who said: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Tuesday · 33 min
Why Does Western Europe Dominate Global Football? [Rerun]
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 references from that time have been changed.
July 23 · 32 min
Who's to Blame for England's Collapse?
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?
July 21 · 29 min
World Cup Recap: Spain Reigns Supreme
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...
July 16 · 28 min
Live Show at House of GOAL Ahead of England-Argentina
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.
July 14 · 18 min
Bellingham and Kane: England's Most Influential World Cup Duo?
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.
July 9 · 37 min
Was Egypt Robbed by VAR? And What's Wrong With US Men's Soccer?
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?
July 7 · 31 min
England-Mexico Recap + Trump's Balogun Call
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.
July 2 · 32 min
Harry Kane Saves England. But Can They Handle the Azteca?
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.
June 30 · 31 min
Brazil Survives, Africa Shines, Iran Suffers Injustice
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.
June 25 · 33 min
How Much Do Managers Really Matter?
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.
June 23 · 22 min
How Far Can Cape Verde Go?
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 thoughts and questions at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com
June 18 · 20 min
Dual National Players: A Win for Africa, Europe, or Both?
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.
June 16 · 30 min
The Socceroos and USMNT: Can Diverse National Teams Drive Social Change?
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 attitudes around immigration in their countries.
June 11 · 30 min
World Cup Predictions: On the Pitch and Off
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-invitation/2026/06/08/this-may-just-be-the-last-world-cup
June 9 · 32 min
Why Does Little Western Europe Rule International Soccer?
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) domination of the game?
June 4 · 17 min
Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 2)
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.
June 2 · 25 min
Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 1)
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...
May 28 · 30 min
Game Theory: The Hidden Science Behind Penalty Shootouts
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.
May 26 · 22 min
Do World Cups Save Lives?
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. and Canada to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 116 123 or NHS 111 in the UK.