Max Dowman’s excellent solo goal firmly suggests he’s got everything needed to achieve stardom with England. The teenage Arsenal sensation started for his country’s Under-19s side…

The ongoing international break is giving fans a taste of what is it come at the World Cup this summer and it is just over two months before a ball will be kicked at the iconic event. A whopping 48…

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly trying to persuade Casemiro to team up with him in Saudi Arabia rather than his old rival Lionel Messi at Inter Miami when he leaves Manchester United.

Revealed: How Zambia Beat Bafana To Argentina Friendly Soccer Laduma

It's knockout time! Michael Hamlen from the brilliant 80s&90sFootball is here to look at the first two rounds of Last 16 matches including the first classic of the competition between the USSR and Belgium, Brazil coming to life against Poland, the hosts progressing and Diego warming up for immortality. Mexico v Bulgaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9JPDvqeMso&t=2s USSR v Belgium - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K9R8BLHOXs Brazil v Poland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K726pfbVRW0 Argentina v Uruguay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KDJOIJ2r0&t=5s If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month (less than 75p a week!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OFFICIAL: Messi's Argentina to face Bafana's neighbours Kick Off

Gary and John return to wrap up the group stages of the 1986 World Cup. Ian St John has a meltdown watching Scotland somehow managing to miss out against the "scum of world football". West Germany are the latest to be put to the sword by Denmark but end up on the better side of the draw as a result and there is quite the debut for a young Brazilian right back by the name of Josimar. Brazil v Northern Ireland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY7bZlV0-s4 Algeria v Spain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFLa77Xo_zk Scotland v Uruguay - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgJPjmKy7c8&t=104s Ian St John during the match - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUgd2Stcpuo Ian St John post match - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36pjGbJwSk Denmark v West Germany - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh9AxJCLIFc If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month (less than 75p a week!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mac Millings makes his tournament debut as England's hopes hang by a thread. Bobby Robson is forced into some changes and, although familiar issues are still apparent early on against Poland, goals change games. And careers. There is also Morocco discovering what can be done when you cross the halfway line, progress for the hosts, Paraguay and Belgium fight to avoid the USSR, Italy remain unconvincing and some love for Jorge Valdano. South Korea v Italy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03ISodmB7jg Argentina v Bulgaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyy0KjsS0os Mexico v Iraq - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G2xrWF-sIQ Paraguay v Belgium - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8opR05tJ-E England v Poland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jcCQetmfAU & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBmpdKC1Ye8 Morocco v Portugal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkauTeF1NA8 If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, join our Nessun Dorma community chat, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month (less than 75p a week!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this sneak peek to a bonus episode of It Was What It Was on Patreon, hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by Professor Matthew Brown (University of Bristol) to deepen the series on Andrés Escobar by tracing how Colombian history, political violence and the drug economy intersect with football. Brown rejects Gabriel García Márquez’s claim that three events defined 20th-century Colombia, while explaining why the 5–0 win over Argentina in 1993 became a tipping point for football as a national identity marker. The discussion covers football’s emergence alongside other sporting cultures, the role of sport after the 1948 Bogotazo and during La Violencia, and Colombia’s later shift into guerrilla conflict and cocaine trafficking. They explore cartel money’s social and sporting influence, the effects of Pablo Escobar’s death and subsequent violence, the symbolic damage of Colombia’s 1994 World Cup collapse, Copa América 2001, and how the 2014 team helped build trust during negotiations leading to the 2016 peace deal, while noting ongoing violence tied to the illegal drug trade. You can listen to the full episode on Patreon On Tuesday, Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson return to round off the Colombia series and bring that story to a close. On Wednesday, on Patreon only, the co-hosts continue the World Cup countdown series with an episode on the 1962 World Cup in Chile, looking back at the tournament and some of its key moments. Then on Friday, also on Patreon only, we look back at when Northern Ireland faced Italy in the 1958 World Cup qualifiers. With Northern Ireland preparing for their 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy, Rob and Jonathan revisit the meeting where Northern Ireland qualified for their first World Cup and discuss the background to Ireland’s football split in the 1950s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this second part two of our three-part special on Colombian football and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper dissect one of the greatest World Cup qualifying matches ever played: Colombia's stunning 5-0 victory over Argentina at El Monumental in Buenos Aires. This episode explores the dramatic buildup to the match, the hostile reception faced by the Colombian team, and the extraordinary performance that shocked the football world. The discussion then examines the dangerous euphoria that followed, as Colombia began to believe that they could win the 1994 World Cup, and the dark realities of the narco state. You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan. 01:39 Colombia's Mindset Before the Match & The Hostile Reception 04:07 The Lineup: Colombia vs Argentina at El Monumental 11:25 The Match Begins: Early Tension & Argentina's Miss 14:05 The Plane Incident: A Bizarre Moment at El Monumental 16:01 GOAL: Rincón Opens the Scoring 17:26 Maturana's Psychological Tactics at Half Time 18:05 GOAL: Asprilla Makes It 2-0 18:47 GOAL: Valencia Volleys In the Third 19:56 GOAL: Asprilla's Exquisite Curler Makes It 4-0 21:00 GOAL: Valencia Completes the Rout - 5-0 22:14 The Monumental Applauds Colombia Off the Pitch 24:32 The Celebrations: 100 Deaths & National Hysteria 30:55 "Now We're F***ed": The Burden of Expectation 33:19 World Champions Before the Tournament Begins 39:25 21 Friendlies & The Cash Grab 44:51 The Dark Side: Meeting With the Cali Cartel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.