World Cup Retrospective

We're on Patreon! As a treat to our loyal listeners, here's a sneak peek of what you'll be getting if you join the "It Was" Patreon community. In a new Patreon series - Rob and Jonathan take a trip back through the World Cup! This will be dropping every Wednesday on Patreon - so we've gone with the imaginative title of World Cup Wednesdays! If you join, you'll also be getting ad-free main episodes, loads more bonus episodes, magazine retrospectives and Q&As with Rob and Jonathan. Plus you'll be supporting the show and connecting with the "It Was..." community. Patreon subscribers get: BONUS EDITIONS Exclusive deep dives, specials & extended conversations from one-off specials to extra episodes that expand on our weekly free shows, you’ll get fresh, members-only content - including our “Bonus Editions” strand where Rob and Jonathan go deeper into football’s biggest stories and hidden histories. WORLD CUP WEDNESDAYS! Our countdown to 2026 - every tournament revisited Join Rob and Jonathan as they walk through every World Cup from 1930 to today, exploring the drama, evolution, legends, controversies and cultural impact of each tournament. RETRO MAGAZINE COLLECTION Flicking through the archives of classic football culture A nostalgic series diving into the pages of Shoot! and other retro football magazines - revisiting the stars, forgotten features, and football fandom of decades past. MONTHLY LIVE Q&A WITH ROB & JONATHAN Your chance to ask two of football’s leading writers anything. Submit your questions about recent episodes, football history, their journalism, or upcoming projects — and hear their answers in our LIVE members-only Q&A. JOIN THE IT WAS COMMUNITY Connect with fellow fans & nostalgia lovers Meet other members who share your passion for football history. Be part of the conversation and help shape the future of the show. What’s included Exclusive content Q&As Ad-free episodes Private community Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back! After a six month absence to deal with newborn babies and fight with schedules, Nessun Dorma returns to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1994 World Cup with an eight-part deep dive. Martyn is back on hosting duties as he speaks to Rob Fletcher about where the world of football was in the summer of ‘94, Mac Millings on how the US won the bid and prepared to host the greatest show on earth and Gary Naylor on the sneering cynicism at home. Romario, Baggio, Bergkamp all feature alongside Daryl Hall, Leonard Bernstein and Richard Littlejohn. Thanks to all for the support and kind requests for a return to the air. The final episode will be a normal ‘roundtable’ discussion on the Final and the tournament’s legacy but it was impossible to get diaries in sync to ensure that this was the norm for all so these episodes are a little different from how we’ve done things in the past. We hope that you still enjoy this summer retrospective and our plans for the coming season and beyond. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nessundorma.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices