Marcus Richards
As the men’s 2022 World Cup reaches the business end, there has been so much action almost every day that it can be hard to keep track of what’s going on. Luckily, there are several podcasts dedicated specifically to this task – here are the top three podcasts covering the tournament in Qatar.
The Football Ramble
For more of a light-hearted view of the antics in the Middle East, hosts Marcus Speller, Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson and Jim Campbell provide all the action from Qatar and beyond. The show began in the 2009-10 season in what was originally biweekly but can now be found every day the tournament is on. The team are often joined by the likes of Kate Mason, Jules Breach and Vithushan Ehantharajah, who provide the same laughs, gaffes and silly quizzes mixed in with insightful football knowledge perfected over nearly 13 years of experience.
One of the matches the team will be previewing is the upcoming blockbuster clash between the Netherlands and Argentina. Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi is likely to lead the way, with Netherlands vs Argentina betting odds of 15/2 to register a goal and an assist at any point in the match. The Oranje will have their chances too, though, with Memphis Depay at 4/1 to have two or more shots on target. Whatever the result on Friday, the Football Ramble team will be covering it from all ends, which listeners can tune in to the following day.
The last 8 is about to begin! But who’s going through to the semis?
— Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) December 7, 2022
VOTE IN THREAD 🧵 pic.twitter.com/zsi5BpDYml
Football Daily
First broadcast in 2006, Football Daily – usually known as Football Weekly but changing its name of late due to the winter tournament – is a show produced by the UK’s The Guardian newspaper, and is presented by Max Rushden with insight from several external journalists. The podcast provides a range of analysis on the pitch, discussion about the serious issues off it, all mixed together with a fair amount of what Rushden called “nonsense”. Outside of the World Cup, the show broadcasts three times a week during the European football season, with particular attention paid to European leagues La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
However, with the ongoing tournament in Qatar, Rushden and co. offer their daily thoughts on the men’s World Cup action. Their recent shows have discussed the exhilarating end to the round of 16, which saw Spain unceremoniously beaten on penalties by tournament minnows Morocco, as they became the first Arab-speaking company to reach that stage of the competition. They also discussed Portugal’s drubbing of Switzerland in which the main talking points would have been Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement up front, who came into the side and scored a hat-trick. Listeners can find all that and more, on the Football Weekly podcast.
‘More dancing. Bring it on. I’m totally for it.’ @_JordanJBryan outlines his position on Brazil’s samba dancing in the latest Football Weekly.
— The Guardian (@guardian) December 6, 2022
Listen wherever you get your podcasts. pic.twitter.com/oeQjjYJwwo
World Cup Daily
As the name suggests, BBC Radio 5 Live’s World Cup Daily provides all the updates from Qatar every single day. Its attention to detail and host of star pundits, including Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, Micah Richards and Chris Sutton, provide insightful reaction and analysis from all the tournament’s main talking points, which for now includes previews of the upcoming quarter-finals.
Being an English-based show, the main focus in recent days has been the upcoming blockbuster clash between the Three Lions and holders France on Saturday. In particular, the battle between Kyle Walker and a certain Paris Saint-Germain forward, which looks set to be a key tussle on England’s right-hand side of the pitch and could be the deciding factor behind Gareth Southgate’s winning or losing the match. The Manchester City defender has since come out saying he wouldn’t be “rolling out the red carpet” for the PSG man in what he labelled a “do or die” match. With games of such magnitude, the World Cup Daily has got listeners covered.
The Top Three Podcasts Covering The Men’s 2022 FIFA World CupWhile these podcasts are all available as coverage for the men’s tournament in Qatar, they are also useful outlets for when football returns to domestic matters, as they go back to covering all things European football. For now, though, their focus is on the men’s World Cup, where the planet’s best eight footballing teams battle it out for the famous trophy.
