https://simplecast.com The Soccernomics Podcast Understand soccer better 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. Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra en Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:55:06 +0000 Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:55:17 +0000 https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast The Soccernomics Podcast https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/383e1eeb-891a-4064-9d41-1f9d8673c7eb/a0efd3d5-3624-4ad1-9dea-cef9dbfb5255/3000x3000/45950974-1779111596815-2c3d846b3c405.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast episodic Understand soccer better 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. Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra false https://feeds.simplecast.com/VrGa_Q3x Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com 9645ac6e-2fc8-4d6b-94be-86da2a6b43c9 Salary Caps v Financial Fair Play: How Financial Restrictions in European Football Compare to US Sports The ongoing Manchester City saga means financial regulations in sports leagues continue to be a hot topic. Some have suggested that what European football needs are salary caps, luxury taxes and second aprons - regulations we see in US Sports leagues. But what are these regulations, and could they really be brought to Europe.

Stefan also gives a little preview of Thursday's episode - our first bonus episode for The Soccernomics Podcast FC patreon subscribers - where he will reveal recent research he's done on the Burnley-Everton lawsuit over the 2021-2022 relegation battle. You wan't want to miss it, or entry to our Fantasy Premier League that starts this weekend. 

Sign up for our patreon to make sure you don't: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast


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]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2026 09:55:06 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast The ongoing Manchester City saga means financial regulations in sports leagues continue to be a hot topic. Some have suggested that what European football needs are salary caps, luxury taxes and second aprons - regulations we see in US Sports leagues. But what are these regulations, and could they really be brought to Europe.

Stefan also gives a little preview of Thursday's episode - our first bonus episode for The Soccernomics Podcast FC patreon subscribers - where he will reveal recent research he's done on the Burnley-Everton lawsuit over the 2021-2022 relegation battle. You wan't want to miss it, or entry to our Fantasy Premier League that starts this weekend. 

Sign up for our patreon to make sure you don't: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast


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]]> Salary Caps v Financial Fair Play: How Financial Restrictions in European Football Compare to US Sports Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 01:03:14 false full 47 912e1d60-8b51-4372-82c5-073711d5b35d We Won a Bronze at The Signal Awards: But We Still Need Your Help! There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award without an audience - so thank you all for being a part of this honor.

But independent podcasting is tough. As Ashish shares in this message, it's hard to enjoy the win for long while trying to do everything possible to keep this podcast going. And in that sense, we still need your help. If you like what we're doing and haven't already, please get involved with our Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

The button for monthly membership options are towards the top right, while the one-time contribution options are down at the bottom of the home page.

Talk to you soon!


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]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2026 04:35:10 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award without an audience - so thank you all for being a part of this honor.

But independent podcasting is tough. As Ashish shares in this message, it's hard to enjoy the win for long while trying to do everything possible to keep this podcast going. And in that sense, we still need your help. If you like what we're doing and haven't already, please get involved with our Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

The button for monthly membership options are towards the top right, while the one-time contribution options are down at the bottom of the home page.

Talk to you soon!


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]]> We Won a Bronze at The Signal Awards: But We Still Need Your Help! Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:02:35 There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award without an audience - so thank you all for being a part of this honor.But independent podcasting is tough. As Ashish shares in this message, it's hard to enjoy the win for long while trying to do everything possible to keep this podcast going. And in that sense, we still need your help. If you like what we're doing and haven't already, please get involved with our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcastThe button for monthly membership options are towards the top right, while the one-time contribution options are down at the bottom of the home page.Talk to you soon! There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award without an audience - so thank you all for being a part of this honor.But independent podcasting is tough. As Ashish shares in this message, it's hard to enjoy the win for long while trying to do everything possible to keep this podcast going. And in that sense, we still need your help. If you like what we're doing and haven't already, please get involved with our Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/TheSoccernomicsPodcastThe button for monthly membership options are towards the top right, while the one-time contribution options are down at the bottom of the home page.Talk to you soon! false full 46 397a9957-33cc-402d-b169-2233f5179e8e Too Big To Fail: Well, They Might - But Here's Why Football Clubs Rarely Die Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster.

But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why...

...we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)!

We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below:

https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast 


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]]> Tue, 20 Oct 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster.

But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why...

...we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)!

We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below:

https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast 


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]]> Too Big To Fail: Well, They Might - But Here's Why Football Clubs Rarely Die Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:53:42 Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster.But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why......we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)! We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below:https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast  Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster.But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why......we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)! We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below:https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast  false full 45 0f14e307-0247-442b-a559-059c80415f7f Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC: Help Us Keep Going Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠ 

It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do.

Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help.

By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community.

As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode.

Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast 

As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer.

To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!)



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]]> Thu, 15 Oct 2026 05:13:03 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠ 

It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do.

Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help.

By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community.

As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode.

Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast 

As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer.

To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!)



Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC: Help Us Keep Going Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:16:44 Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠ It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do. Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help. By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community. As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode. Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer.To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!) Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠ It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do. Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help. By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community. As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode. Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer.To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!) false full 44 727cda28-b363-4383-bafb-604aded4a4db Simon Kuper weighs in on Manchester City and Infantino's Future at FIFA Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan.

Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA.

As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15!

⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports


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]]> Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:12:44 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan.

Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA.

As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15!

⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Simon Kuper weighs in on Manchester City and Infantino's Future at FIFA Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 01:00:01 Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan. Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA.As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15!⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan. Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA.As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15!⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports false full 43 5a8f2e7f-d616-4365-a74a-c42a4a3f0027 The Gloves Are Off: Manchester City Debate, Round Two — Szymanski v Malhotra (and the Listeners) As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far...

Tell us what you think at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com

And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15!

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports



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]]> Thu, 8 Oct 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far...

Tell us what you think at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com

And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15!

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports



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]]> The Gloves Are Off: Manchester City Debate, Round Two — Szymanski v Malhotra (and the Listeners) Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 01:00:57 As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far...Tell us what you think at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.comAnd don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15!https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far...Tell us what you think at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.comAnd don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15!https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports false full 42 71ff2071-d80b-4071-a230-6baa40ab5420 Understanding Stefan's Views on Financial Regulations in Football [Rerun] Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case. 

Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him.

In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August.

It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time.

Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Voting is open until October 15!



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]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2026 17:17:16 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case. 

Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him.

In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August.

It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time.

Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Voting is open until October 15!



Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Understanding Stefan's Views on Financial Regulations in Football [Rerun] Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:42:35 Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case. Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him.In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August. It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time.Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards:https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sportsVoting is open until October 15! Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case. Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him.In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August. It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time.Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards:https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sportsVoting is open until October 15! false full 41 d2ff8ee6-5a5a-4f48-ad41-39b3361ebb15 Manchester City Found Guilty: But Stefan Thinks the Outrage is Overblown By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've been facing in relation to breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.

If you know Stefan, you probably won't be surprised to find out that many of his views on this topic go against the mainstream narratives. And though Stefan is upfront that he was a witness for the club in the case, his views on financial regulations in football predate any association with Manchester City.


Still, Ashish isn't fully convinced of his arguments. What do you think? Do let us know by writing in to thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com.


And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports




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]]> Thu, 1 Oct 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've been facing in relation to breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.

If you know Stefan, you probably won't be surprised to find out that many of his views on this topic go against the mainstream narratives. And though Stefan is upfront that he was a witness for the club in the case, his views on financial regulations in football predate any association with Manchester City.


Still, Ashish isn't fully convinced of his arguments. What do you think? Do let us know by writing in to thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com.


And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports




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]]> Manchester City Found Guilty: But Stefan Thinks the Outrage is Overblown Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:56:53 By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've been facing in relation to breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.If you know Stefan, you probably won't be surprised to find out that many of his views on this topic go against the mainstream narratives. And though Stefan is upfront that he was a witness for the club in the case, his views on financial regulations in football predate any association with Manchester City.Still, Ashish isn't fully convinced of his arguments. What do you think? Do let us know by writing in to thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com.And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've been facing in relation to breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.If you know Stefan, you probably won't be surprised to find out that many of his views on this topic go against the mainstream narratives. And though Stefan is upfront that he was a witness for the club in the case, his views on financial regulations in football predate any association with Manchester City.Still, Ashish isn't fully convinced of his arguments. What do you think? Do let us know by writing in to thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com.And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports false full 40 617587fd-7a26-42f3-b471-bdf17cb6a8e5 We're Finalists at The Signal Awards! A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards.

It's one of the biggest awards competitions in the podcasting world, so it's a big honor for this independent podcast that didn't even exist five months ago.

You can help us win the Listener's Choice Award by voting here:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Make sure you create an account and verify it in your email!


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]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2026 20:47:44 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards.

It's one of the biggest awards competitions in the podcasting world, so it's a big honor for this independent podcast that didn't even exist five months ago.

You can help us win the Listener's Choice Award by voting here:

https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Make sure you create an account and verify it in your email!


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]]> We're Finalists at The Signal Awards! Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:01:32 A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards.It's one of the biggest awards competitions in the podcasting world, so it's a big honor for this independent podcast that didn't even exist five months ago.You can help us win the Listener's Choice Award by voting here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sportsMake sure you create an account and verify it in your email! A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards.It's one of the biggest awards competitions in the podcasting world, so it's a big honor for this independent podcast that didn't even exist five months ago.You can help us win the Listener's Choice Award by voting here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sportsMake sure you create an account and verify it in your email! false full 39 c56884c2-b231-4b39-9847-ded688eede91 Has VAR made refereeing decisions more accurate? VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back arguing that it's still used too subjectively, and that perceptions around its accuracy are a problem. What do you think?


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]]> Fri, 25 Sep 2026 01:47:55 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back arguing that it's still used too subjectively, and that perceptions around its accuracy are a problem. What do you think?


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]]> Has VAR made refereeing decisions more accurate? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:39:40 VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back arguing that it's still used too subjectively, and that perceptions around its accuracy are a problem. What do you think? VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back arguing that it's still used too subjectively, and that perceptions around its accuracy are a problem. What do you think? false full 38 7d23b523-3e48-4977-909f-0ec6ebebba33 What Are The Best Leagues in the World? The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports analytics company have come up with their latest power rankings. We discuss them, and metholodigies that can be used to rate the world's best leagues.


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]]> Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports analytics company have come up with their latest power rankings. We discuss them, and metholodigies that can be used to rate the world's best leagues.


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]]> What Are The Best Leagues in the World? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:33:25 The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports analytics company have come up with their latest power rankings. We discuss them, and metholodigies that can be used to rate the world's best leagues. The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports analytics company have come up with their latest power rankings. We discuss them, and metholodigies that can be used to rate the world's best leagues. false full 37 8b459883-ec7d-451e-944e-025286e9ebf8 How Much Do Managers Really Matter? [Rerun] Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first place.


This episode was first published on June 25. None of the dates or references have been changed since that time.


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]]> Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:59:15 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first place.


This episode was first published on June 25. None of the dates or references have been changed since that time.


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]]> How Much Do Managers Really Matter? [Rerun] Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:34:50 Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first place.This episode was first published on June 25. None of the dates or references have been changed since that time. Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first place.This episode was first published on June 25. None of the dates or references have been changed since that time. false full 36 1ed3b01f-f978-4fd4-9d22-27e84c702861 "You're Getting Sacked in the Morning": Why Managers Get Fired So Much Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their managers. What's behind the constant merry-go-round? And does it make sense from an economic point of view?


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]]> Tue, 15 Sep 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their managers. What's behind the constant merry-go-round? And does it make sense from an economic point of view?


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]]> "You're Getting Sacked in the Morning": Why Managers Get Fired So Much Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:35:46 Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their managers. What's behind the constant merry-go-round? And does it make sense from an economic point of view? Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their managers. What's behind the constant merry-go-round? And does it make sense from an economic point of view? false full 35 d312dba5-634f-4af2-b2a9-cc450548ac0e Why Don’t American Sports Have Promotion and Relegation? At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed league system, and what it would take for it to change. We also discuss how US sports leagues avoid charges of collusion under antitrust litigation.


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]]> Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:14:46 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed league system, and what it would take for it to change. We also discuss how US sports leagues avoid charges of collusion under antitrust litigation.


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]]> Why Don’t American Sports Have Promotion and Relegation? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:47:07 At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed league system, and what it would take for it to change. We also discuss how US sports leagues avoid charges of collusion under antitrust litigation. At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed league system, and what it would take for it to change. We also discuss how US sports leagues avoid charges of collusion under antitrust litigation. false full 34 8079b2dc-3f05-433e-aa6d-5aed8470ae50 Can MLS Actually Become a Major League? As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and early 2000s? What's behind high present day MLS club valuations? And why hasn't it taken off and actually become a major league?


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]]> Tue, 8 Sep 2026 21:53:06 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and early 2000s? What's behind high present day MLS club valuations? And why hasn't it taken off and actually become a major league?


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]]> Can MLS Actually Become a Major League? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:39:31 As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and early 2000s? What's behind high present day MLS club valuations? And why hasn't it taken off and actually become a major league? As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and early 2000s? What's behind high present day MLS club valuations? And why hasn't it taken off and actually become a major league? false full 33 69432ad4-86b2-422b-8485-ba238906ee5d Before MLS: The Wild History of American Soccer From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the 1890s. It sets us up for Stefan's critiques of Major League Soccer, and why he believes the league should bring in promotion and relegation.


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]]> Thu, 3 Sep 2026 06:51:41 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the 1890s. It sets us up for Stefan's critiques of Major League Soccer, and why he believes the league should bring in promotion and relegation.


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]]> Before MLS: The Wild History of American Soccer Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:36:57 From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the 1890s. It sets us up for Stefan's critiques of Major League Soccer, and why he believes the league should bring in promotion and relegation. From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the 1890s. It sets us up for Stefan's critiques of Major League Soccer, and why he believes the league should bring in promotion and relegation. false full 32 ef8ce602-8d6d-481e-80d3-32215d1e9b10 If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Stefan on Football’s Financial Rules After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be honest: both of those things are always the case, vacation or not.

But with the English Premier and Football Leagues new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations in place for this season, we thought it was a good opportunity to talk about what they are, and why Stefan fundamentally has a problem with financial regulation in football.


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]]> Tue, 1 Sep 2026 07:23:26 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be honest: both of those things are always the case, vacation or not.

But with the English Premier and Football Leagues new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations in place for this season, we thought it was a good opportunity to talk about what they are, and why Stefan fundamentally has a problem with financial regulation in football.


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]]> If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Stefan on Football’s Financial Rules Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:45:00 After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be honest: both of those things are always the case, vacation or not. But with the English Premier and Football Leagues new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations in place for this season, we thought it was a good opportunity to talk about what they are, and why Stefan fundamentally has a problem with financial regulation in football. After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be honest: both of those things are always the case, vacation or not. But with the English Premier and Football Leagues new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations in place for this season, we thought it was a good opportunity to talk about what they are, and why Stefan fundamentally has a problem with financial regulation in football. false full 31 9c79f257-5873-4a91-8725-c2404ca75453 Why Does Messi Keep Missing Penalties? [Rerun] As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over David De Gea, made today feel as good a time as any to republish our penalties episode. In it, we go beyond the pub talk, where Stefan and Simon explain the game theory that underlines the economics and psychology behind penalty kicks.

This episode was first published on May 28.



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]]> Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over David De Gea, made today feel as good a time as any to republish our penalties episode. In it, we go beyond the pub talk, where Stefan and Simon explain the game theory that underlines the economics and psychology behind penalty kicks.

This episode was first published on May 28.



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]]> Why Does Messi Keep Missing Penalties? [Rerun] Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:32:36 As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over David De Gea, made today feel as good a time as any to republish our penalties episode. In it, we go beyond the pub talk, where Stefan and Simon explain the game theory that underlines the economics and psychology behind penalty kicks.This episode was first published on May 28. As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over David De Gea, made today feel as good a time as any to republish our penalties episode. In it, we go beyond the pub talk, where Stefan and Simon explain the game theory that underlines the economics and psychology behind penalty kicks.This episode was first published on May 28. false full 30 ed91eb0b-cf6a-4f5b-9edd-d006b03669b7 The Soccernomics Podcast x NO SUCH THING After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire conversation that led to the backlash in the first place - thanks to our friends at NO SUCH THING.


Manny Fidel, Devan Joseph and Noah Friedman had us on their award-winning show last month to talk about the transfer system, US soccer, promotion/relegation, authoritarian regimes that host World Cups...and yes, the football v soccer debate.


This conversation first aired as part of NO SUCH THING's July 1 episode. Check out their feed here.








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]]> Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:32:17 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire conversation that led to the backlash in the first place - thanks to our friends at NO SUCH THING.


Manny Fidel, Devan Joseph and Noah Friedman had us on their award-winning show last month to talk about the transfer system, US soccer, promotion/relegation, authoritarian regimes that host World Cups...and yes, the football v soccer debate.


This conversation first aired as part of NO SUCH THING's July 1 episode. Check out their feed here.








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]]> The Soccernomics Podcast x NO SUCH THING Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:29:56 After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire conversation that led to the backlash in the first place - thanks to our friends at NO SUCH THING.Manny Fidel, Devan Joseph and Noah Friedman had us on their award-winning show last month to talk about the transfer system, US soccer, promotion/relegation, authoritarian regimes that host World Cups...and yes, the football v soccer debate.This conversation first aired as part of NO SUCH THING's July 1 episode. Check out their feed here. After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire conversation that led to the backlash in the first place - thanks to our friends at NO SUCH THING.Manny Fidel, Devan Joseph and Noah Friedman had us on their award-winning show last month to talk about the transfer system, US soccer, promotion/relegation, authoritarian regimes that host World Cups...and yes, the football v soccer debate.This conversation first aired as part of NO SUCH THING's July 1 episode. Check out their feed here. false full 29 28f118ce-c9e4-4cea-bca8-aaa286925522 Why Are Sports Teams Suddenly Worth So Much Money? 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 - particularly in the US. So what's behind it?

We also preview the upcoming English Premier League season, including debating whether Leicester City's longshot title was luck, or something more.


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]]> Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:22:57 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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 - particularly in the US. So what's behind it?

We also preview the upcoming English Premier League season, including debating whether Leicester City's longshot title was luck, or something more.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

]]> Why Are Sports Teams Suddenly Worth So Much Money? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 - particularly in the US. So what's behind it?We also preview the upcoming English Premier League season, including debating whether Leicester City's longshot title was luck, or something more. 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 - particularly in the US. So what's behind it?We also preview the upcoming English Premier League season, including debating whether Leicester City's longshot title was luck, or something more. false full 28 7b6ccfc7-ac45-428d-99d8-0a78c94da919 Mailbag Part II: Soccer vs Football, Colonialism & Pay to Play 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.


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]]> Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:20:42 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Mailbag Part II: Soccer vs Football, Colonialism & Pay to Play Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 27 0bb1741d-3c51-4c87-bb9f-f343a9da779e Mailbag: Penalties, the European Super League & Match Momentum Graphs 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!


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]]> Thu, 13 Aug 2026 04:01:48 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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!


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]]> Mailbag: Penalties, the European Super League & Match Momentum Graphs Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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! 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! false full 26 ae07c019-ea2d-4fa6-94a3-a1cfbbfcb029 Kieran Maguire on Infantino, FIFA and Ebbsfleet United 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.


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]]> Tue, 11 Aug 2026 04:29:18 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Kieran Maguire on Infantino, FIFA and Ebbsfleet United Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 25 39eda59d-4b95-4705-9230-5e1ebf546b92 Will Gianni Infantino Resign? 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 whether he will survive the biggest test he's ever faced.


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]]> Thu, 6 Aug 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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 whether he will survive the biggest test he's ever faced.


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]]> Will Gianni Infantino Resign? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 whether he will survive the biggest test he's ever faced. 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 whether he will survive the biggest test he's ever faced. false full 24 981cf99a-529c-4f34-9b86-b755aaa48d45 Amid FIFA Sell-Off Fiasco, A Reminder That World Cups Save Lives [Rerun] 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 - as a reminder of why the World Cup is so important to people. It literally saves lives.


This episode was fist published on May 26.


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.


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]]> Tue, 4 Aug 2026 04:05:03 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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 - as a reminder of why the World Cup is so important to people. It literally saves lives.


This episode was fist published on May 26.


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.


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]]> Amid FIFA Sell-Off Fiasco, A Reminder That World Cups Save Lives [Rerun] Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 - as a reminder of why the World Cup is so important to people. It literally saves lives.This episode was fist published on May 26. 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. 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 - as a reminder of why the World Cup is so important to people. It literally saves lives.This episode was fist published on May 26. 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. false full 23 fc6339f8-6b29-483a-9637-d257a6a20078 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.”




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]]> Thu, 30 Jul 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.”




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]]> Will Infantino's World Cup Plan Tear FIFA and UEFA Apart? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 00:30:11 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.” 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.” false full 22 34944125-e60d-4798-8366-9c450b4d472c 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.




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]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:38:54 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.




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]]> Why Does Western Europe Dominate Global Football? [Rerun] Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 references from that time have been changed. 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. false full 21 f63f6266-de35-4aa9-8517-e8938bf8a200 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?


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]]> Thu, 23 Jul 2026 04:28:29 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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?


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]]> Who's to Blame for England's Collapse? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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? 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? false full 20 f2c21652-835e-4550-b0af-d5680e2fd10a 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...


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]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:52 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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...


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]]> World Cup Recap: Spain Reigns Supreme Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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... 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... false full 19 f0e251d4-ccdb-42ed-8702-568de284a510 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.



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]]> Thu, 16 Jul 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.



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]]> Live Show at House of GOAL Ahead of England-Argentina Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 18 39f21116-6316-4592-9a58-9a0caa5647ed 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.


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]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Bellingham and Kane: England's Most Influential World Cup Duo? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 17 0bf2b4b5-55a0-4d0d-a2be-233229338168 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?


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]]> Thu, 9 Jul 2026 07:29:55 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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?


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]]> Was Egypt Robbed by VAR? And What's Wrong With US Men's Soccer? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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? 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? false full 16 95f8a69a-2b36-4205-9072-1f8a0af9af37 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.


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]]> Tue, 7 Jul 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> England-Mexico Recap + Trump's Balogun Call Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 15 b4a56b2d-575c-43bd-b750-2c32201d2c04 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.


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]]> Thu, 2 Jul 2026 04:05:35 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Harry Kane Saves England. But Can They Handle the Azteca? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 14 2f65c08a-a24d-4582-81bd-9a39e97a82f9 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.


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]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2026 04:26:08 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Brazil Survives, Africa Shines, Iran Suffers Injustice Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 13 1e324f90-0f34-42b1-b47b-98ab889c813d 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.


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]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> How Much Do Managers Really Matter? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 12 3d1e6779-acd0-4a2b-9edd-15af837457ea 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


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]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:27:03 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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


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]]> How Far Can Cape Verde Go? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 thoughts and questions at thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com 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 false full 11 b440aae4-5302-4d9a-aeb2-75a1d835be39 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.


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]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:30:31 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Dual National Players: A Win for Africa, Europe, or Both? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 10 688d7567-6dcf-4628-9187-127a3c1b4d56 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.


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]]> Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:33:34 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> The Socceroos and USMNT: Can Diverse National Teams Drive Social Change? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 attitudes around immigration in their countries. 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. false full 9 18e1bb9d-09d2-4121-85ba-723c141ce7d1 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



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]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:11:02 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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



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]]> World Cup Predictions: On the Pitch and Off Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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-invitation/2026/06/08/this-may-just-be-the-last-world-cup 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 false full 8 f3a28945-559a-48d5-b76a-d86a7f3fc88e 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?


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]]> Tue, 9 Jun 2026 05:15:57 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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?


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]]> Why Does Little Western Europe Rule International Soccer? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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) domination of the game? 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? false full 7 0726f562-59c5-4506-b956-6903a212c280 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.


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]]> Thu, 4 Jun 2026 04:22:10 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 2) Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 6 19d10a9c-9ad1-4a8a-a243-ceaa34ec0267 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...


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]]> Tue, 2 Jun 2026 07:01:28 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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...


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]]> Why the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 1) Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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... 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... false full 5 be3c0d62-d43b-470e-bd6d-388b34dbbf6a 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.


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]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 04:01:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Game Theory: The Hidden Science Behind Penalty Shootouts Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 4 1e1e80b0-4bfd-419a-a20f-619f7f5c31ee 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.


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]]> Tue, 26 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> Do World Cups Save Lives? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. and Canada to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 116 123 or NHS 111 in the UK. 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. false full 3 b59018bb-7c68-4190-b9b9-501276e0eea8 Why England Never Win - But Might Be Getting Closer 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 and societal dynamics shaping the team. 


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]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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 and societal dynamics shaping the team. 


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]]> Why England Never Win - But Might Be Getting Closer Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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 and societal dynamics shaping the team.  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 and societal dynamics shaping the team.  false full 2 3e562b7b-5891-47ef-916b-60a7bf5e2ce9 What is Soccernomics? 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.


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]]> Tue, 19 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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.


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]]> What is Soccernomics? Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false full 1 45f21299-6584-4ce1-947e-a98d8ec426fa Introducing: The Soccernomics Podcast 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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]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 14:30:56 +0000 thesoccernomicspodcast@gmail.com (Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra) https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-soccernomics-podcast 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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]]> Introducing: The Soccernomics Podcast Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski, Ashish Malhotra 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. 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. false trailer