Ep. 9 - World Cup Preview (Pt. 3): Groups G, H, and I

Brandon and Shaun tackle part three of their World Cup previews where they breakdown groups G, H and I. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Friends on Football podcast. My name is Brandon Johnson, and I'm with you today with my co-host, Sean Boyle. Sean, how are we doing today?

SPEAKER_01 0:32

I'm hanging in there, Brandon. We're we could see the end of the road in terms of these previews. We're making our way through. I'm excited to break down some more groups to do today.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Yeah, me too, Sean. Tonight we have episode three of our World Cup group preview. We will be previewing groups G, H, and I with one episode to follow on groups J, K, and L. Sean will be covering groups G and I tonight, and I will be covering group H. Sean, would you like to kick us off with group G?

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Yeah, listeners, by now you know the drill. Whoever doesn't have two groups on the night, the other person hosts. We're strictly business. We we get right into it. We don't waste any time because these are going to be long episodes the way it is. So, group G is where we begin this evening. Belgium is the first team up. A country that I've actually spent some time in. So I'm happy to have this one on my board, and I absolutely love Belgium because of it. So glad we're starting here. The Belgian motto is Indracht Macht Macht, which means Union makes strength. The capital and largest city is Brussels, and they have three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. The population is only around 12 million people. So not a small country, but not one of the largest that we've seen. Some fun facts, which we love to provide you. Famous for beer, chocolate, waffles, and French fries. How's that sound? Pretty good list there in terms of good food. There are over 1,000 varieties of Belgian beer. Each beer has their own specifically designed glass to enhance the flavor for. So that's pretty interesting. So over 1,000 beers, 1,000 glasses to try them in and enhance the flavor. I can attest to this, I got absolutely pissed on some Bruges Zot over there. And it's one of my favorite beers I've ever had. I've seen it make its way to the United States now. It's popping up. So I don't know if I was unaware of it beforehand, but boy oh boy, when I was over there, it tasted a hell of a lot better. The average male height in Belgium is six feet tall, which makes it the second tallest country in the world in terms of male height. And lastly, it also hosts the music festival Tomorrowland in the town Boom. That is an apropos town name to host such a festival. It is also that that festival is one of the largest and most well-known EDM festivals in the world. Not exactly my cup of tea. I prefer my music with words, but to each their own. That festival is very popular. So let's dive into the on-the-pitch point of view for Belgium. In Dutch, they are known as De Rode Douvels, or in French, Le Diable Rouge, which is the Red Devils. It's a great little logo they have. It's a great mascot when he pops his head up. I enjoy the Red Devils. This is their 15th World Cup appearance after making their first in 1930. Their best finish in the height of the golden generation was in the 2018 World Cup, where they came in third place. That generation saw a ton of really famous, really good players come through all at the same time. And for a country like Belgium, that was the height of their football career thus far. I will say some of those parts are still lingering around, and we'll get to that in a bit. But the player with the most caps for this team, we had to give him a shout out, it is Spurs legend, Super Jan Vertongen. He has retired, but their all-time winning scorer is still kicking around. It is Romelo Lukaku. He is in the mix for the starting number nine position in this World Cup. We'll touch on him in a second. First, we have to talk about the manager. It is Rudy Garcia. This is his first international job. He has managed in France at several clubs and in Serie A at Roma and Napoli. So he is familiar with the big stage and has experience at some of Europe's best clubs. He's a guy who really seems like he cares about the culture, and he has immediately improved the vibe around Belgium. The previous manager was Dominico Tedesco, and he was basically unanimously hated by the time he left. So this guy, Rudy Garcia, has come in. He's got the group back together. They like each other once again. Thibaut wasn't even willing to play for Tedesco, so that was a big issue. The players seem to be back on board. The player I have to start with, in terms of just electricity, and he contributes to how they want to play, it's Yeremi Doku, who is one of the best wingers in the world. This Belgium team will look to have a lot of the ball. They have a ton of technical ability. And although they're capable of picking you apart in transitional moments, they are more suited to having more possession in the game. And I think they'll be able to break down lower blocks better than some other teams in this tournament because of these guys. I'm going to mention an attack. Nobody's better at taking their man on than Jeremy Doku. He simply toys with defenders. He'll beat you once, he'll wait for you to recover just so he could beat you again. It's like an old and one hooper. It's like he's not even trying to score necessarily, he's just trying to embarrass you. I mentioned the golden generation was at its peak in 2018, and there are still some parts to that team that are kicking about. Most notably is Kevin De Bruyne. He is not the player he was in 2018. He's slowed down a step or two. Injuries have played a major role in his career, especially in these last couple of years. But he seems to be fit right now. And a fit Kevin De Bruin in a small tournament in terms of how much time it's going to take is a scary, scary thing for opposing teams. Other guys that were on that 2018 team, Thiba Courtois is the other name we need to mention. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best. He's still at a very high level. He's still in his prime. Also, Tomas Mounier at right back, he might be starting at right back again this World Cup. They kind of don't have a ton of great options over there. And he's still playing at a pretty high level. So, in addition to those guys, I mentioned Romelo Hukaku. This guy, he's an infuriating player to watch. I really do like Big Rom, but boy oh boy, is he just going to give you some moments where you cannot believe he didn't put the ball in the net. And he'll he'll get you there. He's good in buildup. He he's strong. He'll lay off a nice pass, and you're like, oh, look at this guy. And then he gets in front of goal sometimes and he does shit himself. So hopefully for Belgium, that's not the case. This World Cup, the strength of this team is in the midfield. Amadou Onana and the captain Yuri Tielemans make up a really, really strong midfield pairing. Have Kevin De Bruyne sitting in front of them, and all of a sudden that midfield three looks pretty potent. Overall, I think success for Belgium is winning this group and winning two games in the knockout. I think anything short of that would be a little bit disappointing because this will be the last World Cup that we see the remnants of that golden generation play in. I think they all believe that another run is in them somewhere. So this is kind of a last chance for Saloon for some of those guys. My expectation for them, I'm all in on these boys. It could be because I previewed them, it could be because I was there and I I love the soccer culture that they had, but I will be backing them to make the quarterfinals at worst. So I think that's my prediction. I at worst case scenario, I have them making the quarters. It's a bit bold because we don't know how or who they're going to play if they get out of the group. But I really think this side has a good blend of old and young. I think the manager is a good fit. I think the vibes are good going into the tournament, and I don't see a reason that they don't make a long stay in the United States.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

We love a bold prediction, Sean, so I appreciate that. And thank you again for the for the knowledge and the info about Belgium. I I do think Belgium has enough quality on the field that can take them to that quarterfinal level, mixed with, as you mentioned, the youth. I think that combination at a tournament like this can really be beneficial because you do want some experience on the field. You don't want, you know, all old legs, but you do want that experience that some of these players have. So I don't think a quarterfinal run is out of the picture. You know, you you mentioned it as a bold prediction. I don't I don't really think that's a bold prediction. I think that's pretty accurate. Of course, like you said, it's gonna demand it's gonna depend on who they end up matching up with. But I I could see I could see a quarterfinal run coming from this team.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

One of the reasons I consider it a little bold, even though on paper it's probably not, is if things go according to plan, they would play the United States, I believe, in the round of 16. So I would in this scenario have them knocking out the United States. So maybe I need to tuck and hide after saying that out loud, but I do think this Belgium team are somebody I don't really want the United States to face.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

That's okay. I think our job as podcasters are is to be neutral. We gotta we gotta see both sides of everything. And you know, you give me a one-game series, I'd probably take Belgium over the US.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

And also, if we're just gonna go in terms of better beer, I that's also a point in Belgium's direction. So they might be two for two against the US.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

I agree with you. I spent some time in Belgium last year as well, and that is a fantastic, fantastic country. So highly recommend if the listeners that you haven't been to Belgium, definitely make a trip out there. Yes. I would call it one of the underrated, more underrated countries in Europe. Yeah. People talk about England, France, Spain, and those are great places as well. But uh Belgium, we had a really good time in Belgium, so I'd co-sign.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Yeah. It it's touristy in some of the big cities, but it's not anywhere near as touristy as some of the major European cities you hear about. So I went to Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels, and all three of which I had a great time and would recommend all three. So that's where we're gonna leave it with Belgium. The second team in the group, boy, does this group get considerably less fun to talk about after Belgium. We turn our attention to Egypt. The motto for tourism in Egypt is where it all begins. The capital and largest city is, of course, Cairo, and the population in Egypt is 110 million people, with their official language being Egyptian Arabic, which I believe is the most popular dialect of Arabic. So that's a fact I learned along the way, but it's not a guaranteed fact. It's more of a friends-on-football fact. It's something I think I remember reading. Here are some actual fun facts. Ancient Egyptians love board games. They played a game called Senet, which was similar to chess. And Pharaoh Tutkenhaman, King Tut, was such a fan of this game, he was buried with his own game board in his tomb. He quite literally took it to the grave. That is that's fascinating stuff. I love that. Egypt averages less than one inch of rain per year. Thank goodness for the Nile River, because the whole country would be in real trouble if they didn't have that amazing river running through it. One in less than one inch of rain per year. I can't even fathom what that looks like, but that is a completely different world. Egypt also is a transcontinental country. The Sinai Peninsula is a land bridge between Africa and Asia. So it's a country that spans two continents, which is another interesting fact. The national team is nicknamed the Pharaohs, which I think that's a pretty cool national team name. I dig that. I like when they're a little bit different than the selection or the 11 or the whatever. They are making their fourth World Cup appearance. The first came in 1934, where if you read on surface level, they made the round of 16, which seems great, but there were only 16 teams in 1934. So they have never won a World Cup match. This is their fourth appearance, they've never won a match. They've played seven, they've lost five, they've drawn two. Since 1934, it's kind of been a struggle. They've been successful in Africa, but not at all on the world level. I mentioned they haven't won a game. They've qualified for just a few of these tournaments since then. Their manager is Hossam Hassan. He's been in place since 2024. He has managed for several years in Egypt, and then also at the national level with Jordan back in 2013. He will set them up in a really disciplined 3-5-2. It's a strict shape. They're not going to be very fun to watch. They're very organized. They know their roles and they do them well. And I do think he sets them up in a smart way to get the best of his best two players, which are Mohamed Salah. Of course, we have to start with him, and Omar Marmoush, who we'll get to in a second. Mohamed Salah, most of you will know his name. He is a Liverpool legend, a former AS Roma player. He is the all-time winning scorer in Egypt. He is going to be hungry after a season to forget at Liverpool. He's the best player in this country's history, and I think he probably feels a tremendous amount of pride and a responsibility to get them their first World Cup win. So a lot will be riding on his shoulders. His strike force partner is Omar Marmoush, the Manchester City player. He's a baller as well. Pacey forward, can play on the left wing, can play as a striker. He works well with Erling Holland at Manchester City, and I'm expecting a similar dynamic here with Mo Sala. The formation sets up well for both of them to work in those half spaces and attack. Instead of being out and out wingers, like Mo Salah at his age probably can't do that job at the highest level anymore. I think setting him up to be in a strike partnership in those half spaces will be really, really strong for Egypt. Lastly, another attacking option is Hamza Abdelkarim, who plays in the Barcelona youth setup. He's only 18 years old, I believe. He's a talent for the future, but he could be called upon because his skill level is probably the third highest in this whole squad. It's just is that fitness level and experience level up to the caliber to actually get on the pitch. What does success look like for Egypt? I think fans see this group as an opportunity to make history, not only winning a game, but finding a way out. They are the second favorites in this group to get out. My expectations will be a little bit of a different story. I maybe it's because I don't like the style that they play, but I think I'm out on this squad. And I'm not saying they can't make it out of the group, but I don't know if they're gonna get they might they might get three draws. They might be able to break down one of the two lesser teams in this group because I do think there's two teams worse than Egypt. I just don't know if I love the vibes and I don't like watching their style of play. I've watched some clips trying to prepare for this, and it's it's rather boring. I I most been in bad form this year, and he's been battling injury. I'm not so sure that he's gonna be able to be a hero. We kind of talked about with South Korea. It's a similar boat with Jungman's son, where he's been not in the best of form, and he's responsible for picking a team up and dragging them across the finish line. So I don't know. I'm just not getting the best vibes with this Egypt team. I think maybe inevitably they do end up making out of the group, but I I guess my prediction will be it's going to be a lot more challenging than people think, even against some of those lesser teams at the bottom of this group.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Interesting, Sean. I don't know too much about this Egypt team. Obviously, Marmoush and Sala are the players that are household names, but much past that, I don't really know a lot about them. So thank you for that. I'm shocked that you don't think they'll make it out of this group. The teams you're gonna go over next, I feel like are significantly worse, but I trust your judgment. And if you don't think they're gonna go through, then I'll I'll co-sign that.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

It's it's again, it's kind of where I'm looking for spots to not be chalky. And basically, my method has been if I don't love how a team plays or the form of some of the players, if I could find a reason to pick an upset, that's essentially what I'm doing here. Gun to my head, I'm gonna tell you and the listeners, Egypt will probably make it out of this group because the two teams we're about to talk about are dog shit. But I think there's a spark with one of the two teams that I could talk myself into where there's really good vibes, and they're I'll get into it, but I think that group might be able to pull an upset over Egypt, and that'll put them up against the eight ball a little bit in terms of getting out. So Egypt on paper, second most likely to go through. They probably will, but I'm just putting them on upset alert, is how I would frame it.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

I respect that. The third team in the group is Iran. Really happy to have Iran in the midst of a war and some geopolitical turmoil. I have I have them in my group to talk about. So this should be smooth sailing. The motto is God is the greatest, the capital and largest city, and their economic hub is Tehran, which is the only city I could name. So I'm glad that is their capital and economic hub. The country is divided into five regions and 31 provinces with a population of 93 million people. You'd think they'd be a little better at football with 93 million people, is what I would say. The official language is Persian. Some fun facts about Iran. The sport of polo originated in ancient Persia to train cavalry units. So that's where we get polo from. Iran has a practice called Ta'araf, which is basically the act of declining anything several times. So if you're offered anything in public or even at home, you're supposed to say, no, no, no, I cannot. I refuse, I cannot. Okay, thank you. So you have to say, no, no, no. Okay, thanks. So I've done it before, we've all been like, no, I couldn't, I shouldn't. All right, I will. It's like when somebody asks you if you want a second piece of cake. No, I can't. Okay, so that's what I like in that too. Lastly, they are the only country in the world that uses their own calendar. Their new year is called Nauras, and it is always the first day of spring. So that is when the new year begins in Iran. Their nickname for the national team is Team Meli. This is their seventh World Cup appearance, and they've never made it out of the group. Their head coach is Amir Galinoui. He has been in charge since 2023. He wants to play pragmatic, safe football. Do anything you can to secure a result. That's also known as they are brutal to watch. Really brutal to watch. They're not trying to play anything in the way of creative football. It's going to be slop it up, come and roll around in the mud, and we'll see if we can nick a result. Which, hey, when you're not as talented as other teams, that's the best way to play. They're players of note. Their leading striker, all-time leading goal scorer is Mehdi Taremi. I'm familiar with him. He played at FC Porto for a few years, has had a good European career, got a sniff at Inter Milan, and now I believe he plays in Greece at Olympiacos. He's a good goal scorer. I'm not sure he's in the best of form. He's probably lost his step. He's getting up there in age. They also lost Sardar Asmoon, who is one of their best players, probably their second best player. He was banned from the team for showing disloyalty to the government. That's tough. Can't have that. So a key for this team, as I mentioned, is going to be being pragmatic and being defensive. The leader of that is Shoya Khalil Zadeh. He is the center of their defense. He's a 37-year-old who is responsible for their organization. So he plays center back. He's up there in age. 37 is no spring chicken. But he keeps the puppies organized. He makes sure that everybody's in the right spots and he is important to their team. Of course, Iranians are on the travel ban list, so I'm not sure how their crowds will look in the United States. I think success would be winning a game. Like I said, I could see them pulling teams down into the mud and rolling around with them. I'm just not going to be able to confidently say that they'll score a goal against any sort of competent defense. Of course, you could catch them out, you could catch them on a set piece. Maybe a one-all would be a really good result, but I don't think that they will win a game at this World Cup.

SPEAKER_00 20:22

So you're putting them in fourth place?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Fourth. Fourth. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Okay. Yeah, I think this group, and you'll go, you'll go over New Zealand next, but I think this group has a little bit of magic in it. And not necessarily the great magic, it might be some dark magic. Yes. Where teams are playing for these ugly, ugly 0-0 ties, and there's not a lot of actual soccer being played. I think we might be up for that in this group. So, Belgium, you're welcome. I don't know who Belgium owes a favor to at FIFA, but I think they will coast through this group.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

But also be ready for the fight, Belgium, because you are the best team by far. Like talent-wise, it's not even close, but be ready to roll around because these seams are nowhere near your technical level. They're not going to try to get in an actual football game with you. They're like you said, it's going to be dark arts. So just be prepared to fight, and I think you'll walk through this group. So I'm with you on that, Brandon. The last team in here is New Zealand, the Kiwis. No official motto, but the phrase onward is used in their coat of arms. That is kind of the de facto motto for the country. They're an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean that consists of two pieces of land, the North Island and the South Island. The capital is Wellington, but the largest city is Auckland. Auckland is actually built on 53 dormant volcanic cones. So the city of Auckland, their most populous city, is built on basically a volcano. Didn't know that. Also, Auckland is home to Lorde, one of my favorite music artists. Shout out Lord. So around 5.4 Million people live in New Zealand, a smaller country, especially in terms of how they stack up at this World Cup. Some fun facts. No matter where you stand in New Zealand, you are no further than 80 miles from the ocean. That's a nice feeling. Tell you what, I've lived in some parts of the United States where you're a hell of a lot further than 80 miles, and you feel it. So another great thing about New Zealand, there are no snakes. Much like Australia, there are no native snakes or dangerous land predators. Basically, they just can't get there. And they didn't have them. So check your bags when you're coming in, and as long as you're not carrying a snake, you're probably free to enter. They are the first country to grant women the right to vote. We love that. They're national animal, and often what they are referred to is the Kiwi. The Kiwis are a flightless bird. They have been around for 50 million years. Yes. 50 million years. Don't ask me how. I've got a walnut-sized brain. Couldn't possibly understand that. Fact-checked it three times. We're going to keep it moving. I have no idea how that's even a thing. How we even know that's a thing. Their national team nickname is the All Whites, which makes for some boring jerseys. Very, very unimpressive in the Jersey Department. This is only their third World Cup appearance, their first since 2010, and they have not made it out of the group. Their manager, Darren Baisley, he's an Englishman who has completely committed his life to New Zealand, which is pretty cool, pretty interesting. I guess it's got to be because no matter where he is, he's no further than 80 miles from the beach. But he has managed their U-17, U-20, U-23, and now their national team. Over half of their squad has played for him in their youth setup. I think that's really cool. He now gets to lead those same players into a World Cup, which is really neat to see. They don't have a ton of skill, but they do have a strong identity. They know who they are. They are comfortable with how they're going to play. And I think that makes for a feel-good story if we were to look for one in this group. Their most well-known player is their captain, their most capped player, and the all-time winning scorer. It is Chris Wood. He is considered their best ever player. He scored a bunch of goals for Forrest a season ago in the Premier League. I think he was up there in the Golden Boot Race. He might have even won it before he dealt with pretty severe injuries this past season. He seems to be in good fitness coming into this World Cup. If he is, that's one of the best strikers in this group, if not the best striker. I would stack Chris Wood right up there with Romello Lukako at this stage of their careers. He finds a way to score goals with his head. He's in the right positions, and he just has a knack for it. So he will be their outlet up top. Sarprit Singh is another guy who can provide some creativity. He plays in the midfield. He could play in an advanced role. He could pick a pass. And then Matthew Garbitt is a guy who plays also in an attacking position. He'll probably be on the right side of an attack and look to play balls into Chris Wood and Sing. That's their only hope in the way of going forward. Finn Sermon is their best defensive player. He actually plays for the Portland Timbers in MLS. He's a young lad, I believe he's only 22. They're going to need him in a big way because they are going to be up against the ball a lot, especially against teams like Belgium in this group. So we'll see how that looks for New Zealand, if they're able to string together some moments of magic. But I think this group lacks talent in a big way, and New Zealand is no different. So even against the other sides, like Egypt and Iran, New Zealand still falls short of them, I think, from a talent perspective. It's close. I would say they're pretty similar to Iran. Egypt does have more talent, though. So you have to hope that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think they have a good group spirit. The opposition in this group is not the scariest. Aside from Belgium, if I'm New Zealand, I feel pretty confident I could beat any of the other two teams. I will predict that New Zealand wins a game at this World Cup. I think they beat either Iran or Egypt.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

All right. Thank you, Sean. I did not know Chris Wood was from New Zealand. He I saw him play a lot at Forest, and he is one of those strikers that just gets goals. And it's not always the prettiest goal, the sexiest goal, but he might have scored one pretty goal his whole life.

unknown 26:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:21

But he scores goals. It's a back post header, it's a tap-in. It's just being in the right place at the right time. And in a World Cup, you need that. You need to have those moments. You need to have guys that can finish those opportunities. So yeah, I did not know that, like I said, about Chris Wood being uh from New Zealand. So I do think this team could could put a little fear in Iran or Egypt's eyes and maybe sneak into that knockout stage.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

I would love to see it. That's who I'm pooling for in this group. So if I were to give my prediction of how they finish, I would say Belgium, New Zealand, Egypt, Iran. Again, I'm not confident in picking New Zealand over Egypt. More of just a hunch, feel-good vibe type pick. I love that their manager, Baisley, came from coaching these guys at the U17 level, the U-20 level, and the U-23. I think that connection goes a long way. And they might be shorthanded in the talent department. I think they'll make up for it in some other ways. I hope they bring some energy. I hope they bring some traveling support. It'll be cool to see the Kiwis make a little bit of noise in this tournament.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Yeah, I'm excited to see them play now. Looking at group H, Sean, I don't think I'll have any theatrics. I think this will be a pretty straightforward group. Uh we'll get into it now, but we're not going to see your predictions like you have for group G. I just don't see that with this group. So to start off, we have Spain. Spain is the second-ranked team in the world. The capital of Spain is Madrid and has been Madrid since 1561. There are approximately 3.4 million people that live in Madrid. La Piel de Toro, which means the bull's skin, is one of Spain's nicknames. Due to its geographic shape, also the running of the bulls happens in Spain. Instead of a tooth fairy, when children lose their teeth in Spain, it is a mouse. Or excuse me, a rat. Raticito Perez is the name for the tooth fairy in Spain. So not sure if you want to see that in your dreams. But that's what you got in Spain. And Spain also is the home of the world's biggest food fight every year. Each year in August, in a town called Bunal, tens of thousands of people will meet for an event called La Tamatina, where they throw over 100 metric tons of overripe tomatoes. This has been going on for years and will continue to go on for years. And finally, one of the most iconic places in Spain, La Sagrada Familia, the Basilica, it's still under construction. Construction began in 1882 and has never finished. There's been issues with COVID slowed things down. There's been some environmental issues. And originally I had heard it was supposed to be done in 2026, but a friend of mine was in Spain not too long ago and he said it was not done. So unfortunately, we're not quite there yet.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Classic union job.

SPEAKER_00 29:23

Yeah. Just breaking in the bills. Having a laugh on launch breaks. Exactly. Uh on the field, Spain's nickname is La Roja, which just stands for the Red One. This is Spain's 17th appearance in the World Cup, and their best result was a win of the World Cup in 2010. Uh, an icon, the iconic World Cup in South Africa. Spain's manager is a man by the name of Luis de la Fuente. He is a former player that has coached in La Liga and he's been with the Spain setup since 2013. So he's coached the U-19s, the 21s, the 23s, and now beginning in 2022, he has been Spain's head manager. So really that consistency, he's been with the group, he knows the guy will really be beneficial for them. And he's known as an excellent man manager. On the field, Spain will play likely in a 4-2-3-1 formation, one of the most technically skilled teams on this in this World Cup. They'll press all over the field and they'll look to control the game, they'll look to control possession, and they'll really try to be on the front foot with explosive players all over the field. Some of their players to watch, uh, first, I have to highlight Lamin Yamal. He's probably one of, if not the best young player in the world currently. He is coming back from a hamstring injury, so it'll be interesting to see how fit he is for the World Cup. I'm sure he'll be ready for it. He is a winger, uh, very young player. They also have, I think, one of the best midfields with a combination of Pedri, Rodri, and Sergio Olmo. I think that might be the top midfield in this World Cup. Uh, that's really gonna help to drive the team forward. And I think the only real question with this team, personnel-wise, is who's going to be their goalkeeper. They have both Una Unay Simon from Athletico Bilbao and David Reya from Arsenal. Uh, both very good goalkeepers. It'll be interesting to see who Delafuente chooses to start for them. For Spain, I think success is to win the World Cup. Plain and simple. This team is the second best ranked team in FIFA right now. They have all the pieces, they're pretty healthy, they're deep. I would expect them. I I would would be surprised if if they did not make it to the final. Uh, and I expect them to be, if not in the final, in the bronze medal game, because the talent uh that this team has is incredible. So uh I predict them to be a finalist in the World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

I think you can't go wrong predicting a deep run from this Spanish side. They are chalk full of talent, like you said. Lamin Yamal, Pedri, Daniel, all Barcelona players. They're they're riddled with Barcelona players throughout the squad. Not one Real Madrid player in the Spain side for the first time in a long time, which is interesting. Yeah, Brandon, they are every bit the front runner, contender, biggest threat in this tournament. They they check all the boxes. The only question, I guess, for them is, like you said, between the sticks. And it's more so they have two good options than, oh, it's a problem. Wunai Simone was the goalkeeper for them in the Euros. David Raya has had a couple of really good seasons at Arsenal. So it's kind of a form versus who we've been with situation. I don't know who they're gonna go with. I don't necessarily think it'll matter too much. I can't imagine they're gonna take too many shots on in this group stage. It might become a question as they advance deep in this tournament, but certainly for the next few weeks, I don't think it'll play much difference.

SPEAKER_00 33:00

Yeah, totally agree with you there. And as we go through the next three teams, maybe Uruguay gives them a little bit of a fight, but the next two teams that will profile here, I don't think really have much of a chance against Spain. So you've got Spain up top in this group. Three from three. Yep, three and three, nine points, pretty cut and dry. The next team that we're gonna look at is a team I think you'll like, Sean. Uh more for the vibes, less for the football.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

That's why we're here.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde is the 69th ranked team in the world. Their capital is Praia. It is on the south coast of Santiago Island. It is the largest city and the main hub of Cabo Verde. And Cabo Verde itself, uh, for those that don't know myself before this this research started, it is an island nation off of the west coast of Africa. You don't find it on a globe. It's it's tiny, man. Like if you didn't know where to look, you would not find it. Exactly, exactly. The Cabo Verde translates to Green Cape. It is a mixture of Portuguese and African cultures, which I think is pretty cool. The local language is a language called Creolu. You'll find this interesting, Sean. A lot of the locals celebrate two birthdays. So the day they were born and the day they were officially registered. So I I know this from my personal Jamaican heritage, but when children are born, you have to take them to essentially, I guess, like a social security office. But a lot of times in Jamaica, because the infrastructure is not great, you might not get there for two or three weeks. And in Jamaica, typically, they'll just make your birthday the day that you show up to the Social Security office. So you could be a few weeks, a couple months, four days. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

You could show up as a five-year-old.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Yeah. There's probably some rules around. In Cava Verde, instead of choosing the actual birth date and the date you arrived to the registration, they just celebrate both days. So hey, two birthdays, not the worst idea. No. Another interesting fact. So uh there's a major hub of Cape Verdeans that live in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. So much so that that is the only direct flight from the US to Cape Verde, is for the Providence Airport in Rhode Island. Uh they they offer a weekly flight. So I think I think you think of uh geography and colonization and all of that. I I would imagine people moved from Portugal, which is pretty west in Europe, to Rhode Island, which is one of the most eastern cities, and they just landed there and settled there. So there's a huge hub of Cape Verdeans, but just pretty much in Massachusetts, Rhode Island in that area, the New England area.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

That's cool. I like that.

SPEAKER_00 35:51

Onto the field, I feel like they're a little bit less interesting. Their nickname is Tuberos Azwiz, which just stands for the Blue Sharks. This is their first World Cup appearance. Their manager is a man named Pedro Letal Brito. He just goes by Babusta. So Babusta has 21 caps uh from Cape Verde as a player. He's coached his entire career in Cape Verde in their domestic league, and he is a national hero because he brought this team to the World Cup. Uh, he's been the coach since 2020, and he's really looked at very highly in the country because the team has never reached this level before. We'll get into it a little bit more, but he sort of employed a more far-reaching recruitment policy. So he reached out to guys that have heritage, that maybe don't live there, didn't grow up there, but could still play for Cape Verde and got those guys to join the team. Their style of play, they'll probably look to play a 4-2-3-1, similar to Spain, but they'll look to hit on the counterattack. Uh, they're a very confident group. They've been together for a while. They'll stay compact, they'll they'll stay together, but there's limited quality on the field. So I do think they're gonna struggle in that area. A few of their players, so they have a man by the name of Ryan Mendez. He's played in Turkey. He plays in Turkey now, but he has played at Lille and Nottingham Forest before. He is their captain and all-time leading goalscorer. Another player they have who will likely come off the bench is Jamira Montero. So he played for the Philadelphia Union and MLS a few years ago, also played for the San Jose Earthquakes. He probably won't start, but pretty cool connection. And they also have a set of brothers, Laros and Deroy Duarte. Uh they're actually both competing for spots in the midfield. Not necessarily the same spot, but uh they think that one, both, or neither could start. And as I mentioned before, that recruitment strategy, Sean, they actually called up one of their players, Pico Lopez. He was called up via LinkedIn DM. So, you know, we can call, we can email, we can text, we can do FaceTime. But hey, sometimes you just gotta go for the LinkedIn. That's awesome. I think success for this team is is simply earning a point. It's gonna be tough to do that in this group and with their quality, but I think that would be a successful World Cup for them. I don't expect them to do much. I expect them to finish in fourth. Maybe they'll get a point against Saudi Arabia, which is the next team we'll profile. But unfortunately, I just don't think the quality is there for Cape Veraday. But they'll definitely be one of those teams that I think neutrals will get behind. They have a great story, they're such a small country. So it'll be cool to see them play on the larger stage, but unfortunately, the quality I just don't think is there.

SPEAKER_01 38:45

Yeah, and sometimes that's just gonna happen. Hopefully, they're able to tap into some of that ancestry and develop that pool a little bit further for the next cycle and qualify again. And it's baby steps, you know. This is their first ever World Cup. Wouldn't expect them to run away and win a group or win multiple matches. So maybe they could get a point. I'll be rooting for them to get a point. Most important thing is I've said it before, I'll say it again, BYOV. Bring your own vibes, bring those vibes, fans. Just show up, show out, make sure people know where Cape Verde is after this.

SPEAKER_00 39:17

Yeah, and I think you bring up a good point because you know, a country like this, kids might not even know that soccer is a good path for them, that that this is even a possibility. So playing in a world cup, playing on that stage just helps the next generation of kids wanting to grow up and be soccer players. So I think just being here is huge for them, but a point, you know, that's the cherry on top. Next, next team in this group is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the 61st ranked team in the world. Their capital is Riyadh. Uh, it's actually one of the wealthiest capitals in the world. Saudi Arabia is known as the land of the two holy mosques. Both Mecca and Medina are the two mosques that are represented by this, two of the largest mosques in the world. Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world without a permanent river. 95% of the country is considered desert. And in Riyadh, Sean, you can actually trade at the world's largest camel market. Over 100 camels a day are traded. I'm not sure if it's camel for camel, two for one, if it's money. But uh, if you if you ever need a camel, that's your spot to go to grab one.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

Okay, that's interesting. I didn't know that existed.

SPEAKER_00 40:35

Learn something new, my friend. The soccer nickname for Saudi Arabia is the Green Falcons. This is their seventh appearance at the World Cup. Their best result of the World Cup was in 1994. They finished in the round of 16. But in the 2022 World Cup, they actually beat Argentina. So in the group stage, they beat Argentina. Argentina obviously went on to win the World Cup. Uh, but that's a moment that they really hold their heads heads high from.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

Yeah, that was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the World Cup. That was that was a monumental occasion, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

Yeah, so that's great that they have that and then can hopefully work off of that in this World Cup. Their manager is Georgios Donis. He was actually hired in April of 2026, so basically a little over a month ago. Erve Renard was fired just 59 days before the World Cup. Uh, Donis was the first Greek Greek player to actually play in the Premier League. And he's coached in both Greece and Saudi pro leagues before taking the job with Saudi Arabia. Definitely will be questions with him just being installed, you know, this close to the World Cup. For on the field, they look to play a 4-3-3. They'll want a high press and counter-attack teams. They'll play with an they prefer to play with an open style, but with the current team, they'll likely sit a little bit more compact, sit deeper, and they'll spend a lot of their time defending. Uh, when they do have the ball, they look to overload the wings and kind of look to do more of a smash and grab. So kind of just throwing numbers forward, hoping to get quick chances. So it'll be it'll be interesting to see them play offensively if they get a lot of time on the ball. But it seems like most games they'll be defending. Their players to watch, uh, their captain is a man by the name of Salim al-Dawassari. He is a left-winger. He scored two of those three goals in the 2022 World Cup, one of which was the goal to beat Argentina. He plays at Al-Halal in the Saudi League. And another one of their better players is a guy by the name of Hassan Al-Tambakti. He is a defender and has 51 caps, and he's gonna look to lead the defense for Saudi Arabia. I think success for Saudi Arabia, uh, they'll think success is to advance to that knockout round. Uh, likely in this group, it'll be via the third place opportunity on points. I think I'd expect them to finish in third place as well. I don't see them winning a knockout game, but I do think they'll be able to beat Cabo Verde and take third place in this group.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

I will be rooting for Cabo Verde in that matchup. I want that on the record. I do agree Saudi Arabia has a bit of a higher floor than they do. So I can't go in good faith pick Cabo Verde, but that's where my heart will be. I learned a lot from your preview there, so I think that's the point of it. I did not know they just replaced their manager. That is crazy, crazy stuff a month or two before the World Cup begins to switch managers and philosophies. That's interesting. I can't exactly say they're a team that I'm going to be pulling for anymore, Saudi Arabia, but they pulled off a historic upset last World Cup, and in a one game situation, you never know. It would be interesting if they did it to Spain this year. That would certainly be some no. Noteworthy news from the group stage. Obviously, I don't think that'll happen. I think the two teams after Spain that you've talked about in this group are not going to offer too much in the way of football. So far, through this group, it seems like a sleepwalk for Spain.

SPEAKER_00 44:13

Yeah, and that's a good segue because our last team, I think, could give Spain a little bit of a run. I don't think they're better than Spain, but I think they could at least wake Spain up. And that's Uruguay. Uruguay is the 17th ranked team in the world. The capital of Uruguay is Montevideo. It's also the largest city in Uruguay. Uruguay is a country, is actually known as the Switzerland of the South. Very high literacy rates, stable democracy, and progressive laws. So you love to see that. You love to see people being accepted for who they are and being educated at a high level. So kudos to Uruguay for that. They are the second smallest country in South America. And uh another national anthem fact, because you know I love the national anthem fact, Sean. They actually have the world's longest national anthem. It takes over five minutes to sing from complete to sing completely from start to finish. I don't think that will be the version that plays at the World Cup. I think they play an abridged version, but uh Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Must be abridged. We can't be five and a half minutes before matches here. But that I mean that's good to know. Now I that's a great trivia question one day. It is which country has the longest national national anthem. But wow, five and a half minutes. I don't even know what we could say for five and a half minutes, but you're it goes back to your point. These are literate folks. They can really read, they can really write. They've got five minutes worth.

SPEAKER_00 45:35

Someone was in their bag writing that uh national anthem for them. Uh the the Uruguay's nickname on the field is La Celeste, which just stands for the sky blue. This is Uruguay's 15th appearance in the World Cup. They have actually won two World Cups. I don't know if I knew this before, uh, both in 1930 and 1950. Their manager is pretty well known. His name is Marcelo Bielsa, nicknamed El Loco. So love him. So get rid of him. You either love him or you hate him, Sean. And I I'm also on your boat. I I love this guy too.

SPEAKER_01 46:10

So and also quickly, Brandon, I just want to emphasize that sky blue, the Celeste, a phenomenal blue. It's a great blue, it's an iconic blue. So I I think Uruguay usually bring a heavy hitter in terms of uniform.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

I'm glad you I'm glad you bring that up because blue is such a general color. But when you see that Uruguay blue, you know it's Uruguay. So it is. Respect to them. Yep. I'm excited to see their kit this summer. Uh but a bit more about Bielsa. Very divisive manager. Uh, he's very stubborn with his tactics and player management. He kind of likes who he likes, doesn't like who he doesn't like, and you just kind of gotta accept it. He's an Argentinian manager uh who coached them in the early 2000s, as well as coaching at Chile and club teams in Spain, Italy, France, and Leeds United. And he's known as a cult hero at Leeds. He coached Leeds for, I believe, six seasons, brought them to the Premier League, and he's looked at as a hero there. So kudos to Marcelo. On the field, Urgway will look to play a 4-3-3 formation. They'll want to be physical and keep the ball. Uh they'll press, they'll play with a really high intensity for the whole game. I think they have a strong defense, but they're a little bit weaker in attack, so I expect low-scoring games from them, uh, which could potentially benefit them in this group. Uh players to watch, uh Fetty Valverde, Real Madrid midfielder, super strong defensively, but can also go forward and hit a hit a long distance shot. Brian Rodriguez, uh, he's a winger at Club America in uh the Mexican League. Formerly played for LAFC in Major League Soccer. He'll look to really spark the attack for Uruguay. They also have Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentinker. He'll likely play in that deeper number six role, try to get onto the ball, distribute, and then defensively kind of be that destroyer, that first line of defense before the back line hits. He'll, I'm sure, Sean, I'll put put put a couple dollars on it. He'll get a couple yellow cards in the first couple of games. It's just the way he plays, and with Bielsa now as his manager, it's gonna be encouraged. So if you take, you know, if you're a betting person, you probably want to take Bentonker over on the yellow cards because I'd expect it to happen very quickly.

SPEAKER_01 48:28

My my low wo loves loves a booking, loves a booking.

SPEAKER_00 48:32

And we love him for that. You know, you need a guy that can just just mess things up in the middle, break up plays. So so we'll look to see that. And then another player that fans will likely know, Darwin Nunez, former Liverpool player, he currently plays in the Saudi League with Al Halal, and he'll likely lead the front line. I think for Uruguay, they'll think success is to win a knockout round game. They have a good team, it's not great, but I think with 32 teams advancing to that knockout stage, they they can back themselves and they believe that they're in that top 16 level team. I'd expect them to finish second in this group. I can definitely see them winning a knockout game depending on who they match up against. Having a manager that's defensively focused will help. Uh, you won't concede as many goals. Obviously, it's going to be a little bit harder going forward, but like we've we've mentioned many times, Sean, in a one-game playoff when everything's on the line, you know, it might take one goal to win, it might just take a shootout to win. So I think Uruguay has the capability and the depth to win a knockout game, uh, but I don't see them going much further than that.

SPEAKER_01 49:42

I love Marcelo Bielsa. I was introduced to him when he was at Leeds. That's where I really got familiar with him, and the style of football he brought to Leeds was incredible. It was must CTV. He brought them up to the Prem and then a top half finish in the Prem. He, like you said, he's a cult hero there. I can only imagine he's doing bits for Uruguay as well. Why I feel like they're synonymous with World Cups for me. Maybe it's that blue, maybe it's some of the players they've had in yesteryear, one of which was on the cusp of making this team, Luis Suarez. He was kind of expecting to make the roster, got left out. So a lot of pressure will fall onto Darwin Nunez's shoulders, as you mentioned. Darwin is a guy who he'll take a touch running 80 miles an hour, and it looks like, wow, look at this guy, he's one of the best players ever, and then he'll get in front of an open net and put it wide, and you're like, what was that? So he is another one he's infuriating at times, but he does have a quality about him on his day that it's it's hard to stack other players up against. So I'm fascinated by Uruguay. I do think they're a formidable opponent for Spain. I think for sure they'll make it out of this group just based on the other two that we mentioned in here. But it's the real challenge to them is what will happen after they get out of the group. How far can they go? I do agree. It's not exactly a golden generation for them. So I think they've had better teams in the past, and I wouldn't expect necessarily a deep run out of this group.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

Yeah, and I and I would say just to conclude, group H, you know, I don't really see many theatrics coming out of this group, Sean. I think it'll be pretty straightforward. Spain one, Uruguay two. I do think there could be a little bit of a battle between Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde for third and fourth, but uh even still, if one of them does get third, I can't see them winning their knockout stage. So not like your group G, where you know you got really three teams buying for second place. I don't really see that here. I think it's pretty straightforward.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

I think that was well done. I learned a lot about the group. I'm excited to watch at least a couple of those teams. And I'll tell I'll toss Cape Verde in that mix too. Maybe everybody but the Saudis. I am now tasked with group I, and this has been referred to as the group of death. There's always that billing that gets tossed around ahead of every World Cup. Oh, the group of death. I'm here to tell you, this is not the group of death. It's a good group, it's solid. It's let's not get crazy. It's certainly better, I think, than the first two we talked about in this episode, but I don't necessarily think it's a group of death. I think that's a bit exaggerative. The first team is going to go right against that. The first team is France. They are one of the favorites to win this tournament. Their motto in France is Liberté égalité fraternite, which means liberty, equality, and fraternity. The capital and largest city is, of course, Paris. The population is 70 million people, which is actually a little lower than I thought. I would have guessed France had a bit more than 70 million, but I digress. The country name actually comes from the Latin Francia or the realm of the Franks, which was applied to the old Frankish Empire. So that's where we get the name France from. Some fun facts about the country, known as La Exigone, the hexagon, and that is taught in schools due to the shape of the country. They teach the kids how to draw the shape at a very young age. So if you go over there, find a French kid, they'll be able to draw you, I would say, an exact outline of that country. The Eiffel Tower is taller in the summer because the heat expands the iron. So it grows a few inches each summer. If you're ever over there, see if you can spot it from the naked eye, a few inches on that building. I don't I don't necessarily even know that that's a fun fact. That's just a useless fact. One of the fascinating fun facts that I read was if you're a geography nerd like me, the longest land border that France shares is not actually in Europe. It is in South America. French Guiana shares a 673-kilometer border with Brazil. That's interesting to me. I would have never guessed that. And it's also curving the rules a little bit as to if that's your border or not. But it is listed as a French fun fact. And then lastly, it is considered unlucky to put a baguette upside down. So don't disrespect the French. Don't put your baguette upside down at any point. Considered bad luck. The national team nickname is La Blue, the Blues. They are making their 17th World Cup appearance. These guys are always a force in World Cups, especially since the 1990s. They are two-time champions. They won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018. They traditionally have been one of the major forces in European football, especially since, like I mentioned, the 1990s. That's when it really seemed to tick to another level in France. There's actually a really interesting documentary, I believe it's on Netflix. I watched it about a week ago. It's about their 2010 World Cup run. It's called The Bus, a French football mutiny. And I was unaware of all of the drama that went into that iteration of the French national team. Basically, a complete meltdown between coaches, players, everyone. A mutiny is the perfect word for it. They fell flat on their face, way short of expectations. And that documentary did a pretty good job of capturing that story. Their kits, they traditionally have really great kits. I'm almost always a fan of the French national kits. This year's, I would say they're solid, but not spectacular. I thought we did a little better in 2022 and 2018. Their head coach is Didier Deschamps. He's a longtime coach. He's been in place with the French national team since 2012, making him maybe the most tenured coach at this tournament. He's certainly in that conversation. He had a long career as a player and made 103 appearances for the French national team. So long, illustrious career in France for Didier DeChamps, and he has been in place for several cycles for the national team. They're comfortable with him. They know what he expects. He's done a tremendous job in managing them. And that has added to their expectations for this year. Their style of play, for as much talent and skill as they have, they don't necessarily try to dominate possession. They're very comfortable with letting you play with the ball for a bit and looking to use their scary pace on the counterattack. They have world-class talent and depth at just about every position. There might be one or two that are a little weaker than others, but aside from that, they really rely on their players to make plays and they rely on that talent that they have. It's sort of similar to how Real Madrid play, in my opinion, where they know they have better players most of the time, and they're comfortable letting them go out and perform that way. They give them the freedom to do that, and usually it works. So from a playing squad perspective, we have to start with Kylian Mbappe, obviously the biggest name. Scored in the final in 2018. He's won and finished second in his two World Cups. Pretty good. One of the best in the sport. He's super pacey and then has that combined with an insane technical ability, and that makes him one of the world's best players. Other players to watch, their whole attacking crew. It is an insane wealth of riches here. Desire Dewey plays at PSG, young attacker, amazing quality on the ball, and a high work rate to go along with it. Usman de Belle, Ballandor winner, attacks with fluidity, another PSG player, plays under Luis Enrique. Just really, really good between him and Dewey. They're comfortable playing with each other. And then you add into the mix Michael Elise, who might play out on the right-hand side. All of these guys will interchange positions. The four of them can move about freely, go wherever they want to. They know where to fill in for one another. They know how to play off of one another. And they have people in reserves that could come in and do a job as well. That's how much talent they have. It's simply stupid how much they have in attack. Also, I would lump the center back pool they have into that same depth. Probably the best producer of center backs in the world, the modern center back that combines the athleticism with the ability on the ball. The French have a bunch of them. One concern here is the health of William Saliba, the Arsenal center back, he's dealing with a back issue, might not be ready for the group stage, might not be 100%. We'll see. If he's not available, there is a bit of a drop in terms of who will replace him, but it's not a significant one. They do have a ton of depth at this position, like I said. In the middle of the park, one underrated player to watch. I'm going to shout out a Roma guy. It's Manu Kone. He might be on the move this summer to a Premier League club or one of the biggest clubs in Europe. He's been tremendous for Roma the last couple of years. Comes from the Bundesliga at Mujangladbach. He could break out in a really crowded midfield because he is exactly the kind of player they need. He's really good on the ball. He's poised, but he also covers a ton of ground. And with Chuameni struggling a bit and Angolo Conte getting on in age, I think Manu Kone could take a step for this French national team. The two positions of a little bit of concern quickly are fullbacks and goalkeeper. Mike Magnon is the keeper. He's been a good keeper throughout his career, but for some reason in the French shirt, it's never been quite the same. We'll see. And the starting level fullbacks are good, but maybe the depth behind them leaves a couple of things to be desired. What does success look like for the French? Obviously, it's lifting the trophy or bust. My expectation, I'm going to say it's not very bold, but it's a little bit bold because they are the second favorite to win this tournament. And I will predict they don't make the final. I just I don't think it's their year. I think coming off the back of two deep runs, sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. And I think that might be what we see with the French this year. I'm a little bit worried with some of the back line stuff with Saliba's injury. Teo Hernandez starts on that left side at left back. He's playing in Saudi now. I'm not sure he's up to the level. I don't know. It's just more of a hunch than anything, but Didier Deschamps will depart as the French national team coach after this World Cup, so that's one thing to keep an eye on. This will be his last two raw. We'll see if they win one for the Gipper of sorts, but I don't know. I I think a deep run is inevitable with this group. I'm just not so sure they'll make the final.

SPEAKER_00 59:46

Interesting. I thank you for the info, first of all. I do think they'll make the final. It's hard for me to understand them not making the final. You know, I I see what I see what you're saying, though, with the injuries and that sort, but with that front four, I just feel like, hey, we might give up nine goals, but we'll score 12. So, you know, you're still winning the game. I of course, you know, in a one-game knockout, somebody sits back and somebody sits really deep and compact and stifles them for 90 minutes. Yeah, maybe they lose in a shootout, or maybe they slip up and give up a goal. But I would say for me, I would have them in the final. I don't know how the, of course, how the brackets are going to line up and who they'd match up with, but I'd be shocked to see, to not see France in the final.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:33

See, yeah, I mean, certainly you're not crazy for saying that they're they're picked to do so for a reason. I don't know. Maybe it's the style in which they play, they lack more control than some of these other national sides where Spain have such a dominant possession-based approach that they're in control of a lot of the game. France don't necessarily have that, and to me, that leaves just a little bit more wiggle room for error. Even some of the crazy victories we've seen France have have been down to individual moments of brilliance, and like you said, they're certainly capable of those with that attacking quad they have. But I just think it's a little risky to leave games up to chance in that way. Maybe there's a day where Mbappe's off of it, or that attack just comes up against a low block and a team picks up a result. That's kind of where I'm leaning with my prediction. But again, I did say it was a little bit bold. Again, they're so talented. If I was going off talent alone, they would be in the final.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:22

Yeah, and I don't think you're, you know, crazy out of left field or anything like that. I think it's a fair assessment. Uh, you know, there's only going to be two teams in this final, so somebody's gonna have to fall short. The next, yeah, you know, not to not to look too far ahead, but one of the teams that I have as a quote unquote favorite coming up in in the coming groups, I think they'll fall short. So France maybe will take their spot in my in my bracket.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:48

But uh there we go.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:49

But yeah, more to come.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:51

That's a good teaser. The next team in this group, we spent more time on France than we will spend on the rest of them because obviously France are one of the two favorites for this event. The next is Senegal. They are the westernmost country in West Africa. Their motto is unpiopol, unbut unfois, which means one people, one goal, one faith. Their capital and largest city is Dakar, and their country's population is 19 million. They got their name from the Senegal River, which the name of the Senegal River might come from a Portuguese translation of the Zanaga. Some fun facts about Senegal, they have a famous pink lake named Lake Reka. It has high concentrations of algae and minerals, and the salinity of it can actually reach ten times that of oceans. So a salty, salty lake. I'll tell you that. It is referred to as the land of the taranga, which means hospitality and friendliness. So Senegal is the land of hospitality and friendliness. I can get behind that. Their two biggest exports are peanuts and fish. Weird, weird to combine those two, but hey, to each their own. And then their largest sport is actually wrestling, not football. So that was a surprise for me. Their national team nickname, Le Lyon de la Terenga. So the Lions of Terenga, again, Terenga means hospitality and friendliness. I can really get behind that nickname. This is their fourth World Cup appearance. Their first was in 2002, where they reached the quarterfinals. So that was their best finish in their first ever World Cup. Some historical context for this group, they won the African Cup of Nations in 2021. It's a strong generation of football for their country. Brandon, one of my favorite stories in football in the last few years was actually what happened in the 2025 African Cup of Nations final. We could do a whole podcast series on this. Senegal originally won the match 1-0. However, the result was overturned by the governing body. Basically, what happened was Senegal are ahead 1-0, the match is winding down. Near the last minute, Morocco are awarded a penalty, which honestly got I was watching this game. It seemed like corruption. It seemed like corruption. It was a ghost penalty, never in a million years a pen. It was so bad, in fact, that the manager, Pop Chow, who we'll get to in a second, he took the team off the pitch. So we're done. I can't stand for this. We're going home. We were not even going to watch that penalty go in. Well, Braheem Diaz missed the penalty. So Senegal then come back on the they come back on the field. They say, okay, we'll finish. 1-0. We win. They celebrate. Eventually, the governing body says, no, no, no. You guys actually forfeited in that moment that you walked off the pitch. We are giving Morocco the African Cup of Nations. Brahim Diaz goes from an absolute enemy of the state to a hero in his own country. And Senegal are left wondering what the hell happened. Fascinating stuff, but it does create a hungry bunch for this tournament, I think. I mentioned the manager Pop Chow. He is back. He managed in the Senegalese league before joining the international ranks. He wasn't placed for that AFCON final, led them off the field. So he does have a bit of good and bad working for him. He's shown he can lead this group. He's also shown that maybe in some big moments he doesn't handle things the best. So we might need to work on that if we get a penalty that doesn't go our way. Style of play for Senegal, they are not scared to play in different ways. They don't necessarily try to impose their own style. They are adaptable. They lack consistent creativity when they do have a ton of the ball. So some of their best moments could be in transition. Usually they'll be in a 4-3-3 in possession and a 4-4-2 out of possession. We watched them against the United States. I'm choosing not to pay too much attention to that in the friendly because they were very bad in that match, in my opinion. So I don't think that's an actual reflection of where they're at.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:50

One of their center backs actually got cut from the team. So they brought 28 guys to the friendly to play the US, and two knowing two of them would get cut. And it was the guy. Who let that third goal go through that Balagan scored? It went kind of under his leg on that cross. Yeah, they really released him. So uh why didn't we do that with Miles Robinson?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:13

I knew that was gonna be your follow-up. That's exactly what we should have done. Should have brought 27. Sorry, Miles. He tossed one in his own net, too. What are we doing? Come on, potch. That's a great interjection, Brandon. One of the center backs who is the captain of the team, he is still there, is Kaladu Kuabali. He's played at Chelsea, he's played in some of the biggest clubs in Europe. He is a central defender who will be busy. He is often responsible for their organization. He's a leader on the pitch. He's up there in age, but he still doesn't seem to be aging on the pitch. He's a mountain. He is athletic, he's fast, he's big, he's strong. I think Kuabali still has some left in the tank for this tournament. At left back, another exciting name is El Haji Malik Doof. He is the left-footed player from West Ham. He is one of the best crossers of the ball in the world, in my opinion. He's certainly one of the best in the Premier League. An absolutely wicked left foot. He just whips balls in, a dangerous threat each time he gets it. On the wings, they have some really exciting players. Obviously, they still have Sadio Mane still kicking. I'm not, I've never been the biggest Sadio Mane fan, but I mean his career speaks for itself. And then opposite of him, they have Ilman Njai, who plays for Everton. He is somebody I'm a really big fan of. It's like he dribbles with the ball on a string. You can't take it off of him no matter how hard you try. It's it's right next to his feet at all times, and he's moving quickly. It's a strong group. Like I said, it's a strong generation for the Senegalese side. What will success look like for them? I think they have to want to win a knockout game. I think anything short of that will be a bit disappointing. My expectations for the group, I think they'll do just that. They're one of these teams that I think I see the future for them, and I don't think there's a high range of outcomes, and I don't think there's a super low range of outcomes. I think I'm pretty comfortable projecting them to make it out of the group and win a knockout game. I would be surprised if anything else happened.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:06

I think you mentioning the AFCON is important as well. Winning that, and I know it was contested, and like you said, we could have a whole podcast about that, but winning that tournament is such a big deal for African countries. And I think that gives them that confidence to go into the World Cup saying, hey, we can we can compete with these teams. So that quality from that tournament last summer, I think will definitely ride into this tournament. I can they didn't look great against the US, you know. They're not gonna sugarcoat that, we're not gonna sugarcoat that, but at the end of the day, they did score two goals, and maybe one was a little fluky, whatever, but you still have to score the goal. And so I think so. I think this team, like you said, making a knockout round, winning a knockout game or two is more than possible, and and I would say likely. They have I think they have the pieces to to do at least around a 16 run.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:58

Yeah, the only thing for them is I did mention it's not a group of death, but it is a tricky group. So just make sure that they don't have a first half like they had against the US in this group stage, and they should be fine to make it out of the group. And then from there, they'll likely get a favorable matchup if they finish second in this group stage. They'll they'll likely get a decent matchup in that first knockout round. I could easily see them winning that. And I'd think that would be a success, and I think that's what I expect. So we'll move on to Norway. Norway are the third team in this group. Their motto is Alt for Norge, which means all for Norway. Their capital and largest city is Oslo, and their population is 5.6 million people. Their country name comes from the word Norge or Noreg, which means the northern way. So apropos, I would say, because boy are they up there northwise. Some fun facts about Norway. We mentioned the midnight sun on the last episode when discussing Sweden. It allows for 24 hours of sunlight, basically the whole month of June. So they get about three hours of darkness in May. In June, 24 hours of sunlight, basically the whole month. Not bad, I'll tell you that. I could easily find myself summering in Norway. On the flip side, the polar night occurs in the winter. And boy, does that just sound it sounds straight out of Game of Thrones. Like, boy, I don't want to know what the polar night is. Well, it means no sun for weeks. Sort of uh 28 days of darkness or whatever that movie is where this just doesn't get it, doesn't come up, it doesn't get bright outside. That's basically what we're dealing with here in Norway. Really brutal. Couldn't imagine that. Would never winter in Norway. I'll say that. I want that on the record. There is a hop on, hop-off cruise that covers their entire coast, which I think is a sick idea. Awesome. Now it is one way, so they do drop you off up top, and you're gonna have to make your way back. But but I do think that's really cool. That actually adds to how cool it is. And also, as much of Scandinavia is, it is one of the happiest places on earth, and it's an outdoor lover's dream, the fjords, the whole Norwegian coastline, it all looks spectacular. I've long wanted to go to Norway, and this doing this preview certainly only heightened that desire.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:10

Sean, I have a question about the cruise ship. So if you go north to south and it's one way, what does the cruise ship do to get back up to the north to take the next crew? Don't they have to go right back up? I've thought about this, Brandon, and I have no clue.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:23

I don't know if they take a different route back where they don't travel and make the stops along the coast. Maybe it's a one all the way back. I don't know. But I did look it up and it said it is one way.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:32

That is I feel like we're missing out on a money-making opportunity here. Just a bus company back to the yeah, we'll just be the company that brings everybody back. We'll start the cruise trip from south to north.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:44

Now, that also could just be some faults in my preparation, which which for sure hand up if that's the case. But I know for a fact, I did read on one site it's a one-way cruise up the coast of Norway, which, hey, to each their own, if you maybe there's other means of getting back. I don't know. True, true. But yeah, that is fascinating. I thought that too. It crossed my mind, and then as I said a lot, I was like, I guess they get back somehow. Their national team nickname is the Rhoda Hevitta Bia, which, hey, Americans, it means red, white, and blue. So watch out. Their World Cup appearances, they've made three previous World Cup appearances. This is their fourth. Their best finish was the round of 16 in 1938. Spoiler, only 16 teams. And then the round of 16 in 1998, which was an actual round of 16 finish. Historically, they're a very weak side, especially compared to their neighbors, Sweden and Denmark. They are by far bringing up the rear of those three. Only two teams, though, in European qualification won every game, Norway and England. Eight wins from eight for the Norwegians. So in really good form, and we throw the term golden generation around a lot. I think it's safe to say this is a golden generation for Norway. They missed the last World Cup, but we'll get to their players in just a minute, and they have a few of the world's best. So it's a strong side, especially in comparison to their country's history. They are led with head coach Stale Sabaken. Stale Sabakin has been there since 2020. He has built a strong culture. He kind of flopped at Wolves and at FC Colm at the club level as a manager. He's done much better at the international level. How are they going to play? Counter, counter, counter. It is 4-4-2 vibes, and they've got two threats at striker. So that's going to be their MO. They want to be organized. They want to not be broken down easily, and then they want to quickly spring counterattacks. And I think they have the perfect side to do that. First of all, first player to watch, Erling Holland, maybe the best striker in the world. Lethal, especially in transition. If you get this guy with a full head of steam, I mean there's no one stopping him. He's already their all-time leading scorer. I think he's 25 years old. Pretty sick. Next to him, his strike force partner will be Alexander Sorlot. He is a big lump. I like to use the term big lump. This guy defines it. Plays for Atletico Madrid. He has been at Real Sociedad. He finds a way to score goals. It isn't always pretty, kind of like Chris Wood. He has a big old head, likes to get it on the end of the ball. And it makes for a dangerous pairing with him and Holland because they're absolute handfuls for defenses to deal with. What's also interesting about their ability to counterattack is the other two players that make up their attack. Antonio Noosa plays for RB Leipzig. He is pacey. He is prolific. I believe he's 20 years old now. A ton of upside still. He is very good, one of the most sought-after talents in Europe at his age. So he'll play on the left. On the right hand side will be Martin Odegaard. He will likely play wider than he does at Arsenal, where he's more of a central mid, central attacker. He can use that left foot to really spring these counterattacks. So they'll look to get the ball to him, and then he will look to pick a pass forward and cut through teams in that way. Their defense, they lack some bigger names, but out of possession, everyone knows their role and they play it hard. I expect them to be formidable in that sense. They won't get broken down and played through super easily. What will success be? What does it look like? I think they should aim for a win in the knockouts. People, I was doing some research, people have tabbed them as a potential dark horse side. I'm not so sure about that. I don't necessarily see dark horse, I don't think they have that upside. I maybe I'm wrong. And certainly when you have Erling Holland, I'm not going to put a cap on or a ceiling on what you can do. But I just don't see them making a deep run in this tournament. I don't see them making the quarterfinals. And I think to be a dark horse, you'd have to make the quarterfinals. I don't think you could be a dark horse and just make the round of 16. So my prediction and expectation for them is they make it out of the group and then they lose in the first round of knockouts. So we'll see. But I think because this group's tough, they're not necessarily going to get a cakewalk in that first knockout round. And I think that game 50-50, we'll see who it will end up being, but I'll take the other side.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:06

Yeah, I think that last point is what I was going to harp on. I feel like because their group is so difficult, they're probably going to go through as either two or three and then match up with a one or two. And it's going to be hard. But at the same time, you have Erling Holland, who, like you said, is maybe the best striker in the world. So having him in your side, I feel like you always have a chance. You're never too far out of the game because he'll turn a half a chance into a goal multiple times in a game. So yeah, it's it's interesting. I could see maybe a dark horse run, but I like you, I agree with you here, Sean. I don't think that that's really this team's ceiling. Um unfortunately, I don't think they'll make it that far.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:51

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:52

So we'll move on to the last team in this group. It's another fun one. Glad Brandon tossed them my way. Iraq. Currently caught in the crosshairs of the aforementioned conflict between Iran and the United States. The motto for Iraq, they don't really have one, but it they have their anthem is Matini, which means my homeland. Their capital and largest city is Baghdad. A population of 47 million people. Some fun facts. This is the birthplace of writing. Cuneiform was developed by Sumerians in Mesopotamia, which is modern day Iraq. So history people out there will know that Mesopotamia is Iraq. That's another fun fact in and of itself. You've heard the word Mesopotamia, I know you all have. That is modern day Iraq. Have you ever heard of the Epic of Gilgamesh? That also takes place in Mesopotamia, which is Iraq. So a lot of literature coming from Iraq. We do like to see that. And then lastly, the national dish is Masgoof, which is river carp, seasoned and then grilled over a wood fire. Listen, I'm sure it's great. It's a no from me, but to each their own, it's not a dish I will be trying in any capacity. Not a huge fish guy, and I'm not a river carp guy, I'll tell you that for free. National team nickname. Usud Urafidin means the lions of Mesopotamia. So I might have got the pronunciation wrong, but the what it stands for is pretty cool. The World Cup appearance, they have not made one since 1986. This is their first in 40 years. Their best finish was in the group stage of that year. So second one, it's been 40 years since they've been back. They're all excited to be here. It's not a strong side. I would say they had their golden generation in the 80s. There's start there's starting to be a couple signs of some players coming through the ranks where maybe in a couple cycles from now we could see more of a golden generation pop up again. But I would say right now we're far from it. Their manager is Graham Arnold, which is actually an Australian man. He managed the Australian national team, is his biggest claim to fame. So he managed them for several years and now has taken over this Iraq squad. Their style of play is just going to be we're gonna run some hard yards. They're gonna put in a shift, they're gonna grab their lunch pail, their hard hat, and they're gonna track back. They're gonna be they're gonna be up against it for a lot of the match, and they don't have a problem doing that. They're comfortable, that's how they play. They can be dangerous from set pieces. Their physical side, they're they're used to running, and they're actually strong throughout all 90 minutes. They don't fatigue. I don't think the heat's gonna be a big factor for them in the United States either. That is a concern for maybe, hey, the Norwegians. Not so sure. They have the polar night in Iraq. So there's things of that nature that will be beneficial to them, but overall, they just don't have the talent to play any other way. So some players to watch. Ayman Hussein, he was their leading scorer in qualification. He could play as a 10, he could play as a striker. He's a good player. I've seen some clips of his goals from qualification. He seems pretty tidy. He'll do a job for them. They also have Mohaned Ali, not Mohammed, Mohaned, a striker who's been good for them lately. He has six goals in his last 12 games for the country. And then the only player I was really familiar with before doing some research was Ali El Hamadi, who is a former AFC Wimbledon player. If you don't know the AFC Wimbledon story, it's an interesting one, but he came through the ranks there and was a really good player for them when they were in League One and I think in the championship in the English football pyramid. He is a 24-year-old who's still developing and getting better. I'm not sure where he exactly fits in, if he'll be one of the two strikers in this group or if he'll play a little deeper or come off the bench, but he is a name to watch for now in the future for Iraq. What's a success look like? Obviously, we've said this one before, we're gonna say it again. Winning a game would be a huge success. What's my expectation? Not winning a game. So I think I think that's where I'm gonna leave it with Iraq. I think this is a fourth place out of four in this group.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:01

Thank you for that, Sean. Uh, do you think this group overall is pretty straightforward? France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq, one through four?

SPEAKER_01 1:21:11

I wouldn't say straightforward because I genuinely don't know who I like better between Norway and Senegal. Okay. And maybe that US friendly is talking too loudly to me. But I also do think Norway is formidable, and I think it's a toss-up between those two. But I think all three get out and France win. So I do think it's pretty straightforward in terms of what we could see some chaos in other groups. I can't see Iraq finishing anywhere other than last, and I can't see France finishing any uh anywhere other than first. So from that aspect, I think we have two of the spots nailed down.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:44

Gotcha, gotcha. So yeah, I guess maybe we'll have some eyes on the uh Senegal Norway game just to see how it ends up because that could be really important.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:53

That could be a group decider for them. So that's a good shout, yeah. Anything else, Brandon? I think we we've gotten through three more groups. We have three to go. We could see the finish line. I feel pretty good about our discussion today, and I feel like tomorrow we're gonna come with some energy for the last preview.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:10

Yeah, this is a good one, Sean. I I feel like we might have broken down the world champs today, maybe not. So I feel like the the groups we've had before this, we haven't had a team that, in our my opinion at least, could really win it. I think we maybe had two in Spain and France tonight. So uh we got some more on the horizon. I know personally I'm covering two of them. So we're excited to do this one last uh preview episode for you, and then we'll we'll keep going as as the World Cup gets going next week.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:39

Yeah, the previews are a lot of fun to do, but now I'm at the point where I'm so excited I just want the games to start. So I'm excited for the last preview to be in the books, and then we could shift our focus to some more fun predictions, some letting it loose with some episodes and actually watching some football. So all of that is on the horizon. I think that's all we have for today's show. Brandon, as always, it was a pleasure. Always. Thank you, Sean. Thank you for doing the hosting duties. I'm excited to take over and only preview one group in the next one. Listeners, thank you all for tuning in. Thank you for subscribing. Thank you for following along throughout this whole World Cup preview. We'll finish on a high note for you. Until next time, take care.