This World Cup is well underway, and not everything has gone quite as predicted. Brendan and Rebecca recap the most unexpected moments of the tournament so far, including (of course) England’s 1-0 squeaker over Haiti. Plus, The Athletic’s Meg Linehan joins from New Zealand to give an insider’s take on the USWNT’s performance vs. Vietnam and their chances to three-peat as champions. ‘After the Whistle with Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe’ is presented by State Farm®

A win is a win … right? Brendan and Rebecca break down a clunky and frustrating opening performance from the USWNT — as well as some curious roster decisions. World Cup legend Julie Foudy joins to offer perspective on why the match was closer than anyone expected. Plus: the magic of Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan’s crushing missed penalty, and an update on the “dark-horse race” happening in Group B. ‘After the Whistle With Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe’ is presented by State Farm®

Brendan and Rebecca are back to preview everything you need to know before the Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20. They share hopes and dreams for their beloved USWNT and England Lionesses, pick dark horses and make winner predictions, and mull some new nickname options for the U.S. And with 32 teams in the tournament for the first time ever, Brendan and Rebecca offer up a primer on every squad, from A to (New) Z. ‘After the Whistle With Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe’ is presented by State Farm®

They’re back! Join Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard on ‘Ted Lasso,’ and Rebecca Lowe, host of NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage, as they team up again to celebrate the 2023 Women’s World Cup. They’ll talk about all the superstars, the drama … and, of course, the Team USA women, who are hoping to secure their third World Cup win in a row. Plus, Brendan and Rebecca will have a few special guests stopping by along the way. Join us this summer for an all-new season of ‘After the Whistle.’ Presented by State Farm®

If ever a match lived up to the hype, today’s match was it. Immediately after the whistle, Brendan and Rebecca relive the most incredible World Cup final of all time: 80 minutes of Argentine dominance, two Kylian Mbappé goals in two minutes, a nail-biting extra-time period with goals on each side, and a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner. And how else could it end but with Lionel Messi lifting the trophy and cementing his place in football history?

From a ninth-minute equalizer to Croatian swim caps, today’s third-place match had it all. Brendan and Rebecca briefly recap the day before jumping into listener questions, including: What rules would they change for the next World Cup? Which USMNT player’s stock went up the most? And how does one choose a Premier League team to follow? After that, they look ahead to tomorrow’s Argentina–France showdown and make some final predictions.

Brendan and Rebecca react to the end of a historic Cinderella run as Morocco falls to France 2-0. Then they briefly preview an unpredictable France–Argentina final and wonder: Will the Messi–Mbappé showdown bring complete chaos, or a nil-nil draw? Later, with Rebecca back across the pond, the two talk through how this strange midwinter World Cup could have a massive ripple effect on the Premier League. And finally, Rebecca shares the one thing she’s most looking forward to in London … the supermarket.

Brendan and Rebecca react to Argentina’s decisive win over Croatia and revel in Lionel Messi making the World Cup final, which just feels so right. Then, they break down the major controversy swirling around Gio Reyna and the USMNT, as coach Gregg Berhalter airs out the team’s dirty laundry just days after its elimination. Plus, Seth Meyers joins to talk about his love for the Dutch (not in 60 seconds) and why neither Messi nor Ronaldo bring him joy, and to fondly (?) remember Brendan’s “weird apartment” in Amsterdam.

A despondent Rebecca podcasts through the pain of England’s 2-1 loss to France in the quarterfinals. She and Brendan dissect how it all went wrong, from Gareth Southgate’s questionable game management to Harry Kane’s crushing missed penalty and a “joke” of a referee. They then celebrate Morocco becoming the first African team ever to make the World Cup semifinals (and wonder why Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t do the same). Finally, Brendan and Rebecca pay tribute to the incomparable American soccer journalist Grant Wahl, who died Friday at age 48 while covering the tournament in Qatar.

Rebecca and Brendan recap a stunning day at the World Cup as two quarterfinal matches end in penalties: Underdog Croatia took out star-studded Brazil and Brendan’s beloved Netherlands fell to Lionel Messi’s unrelenting Argentina. Plus, power couple Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle join the podcast to share the emotional roller coaster of newfound soccer fandom (Glennon) and give an expert’s take on penalty kicks (Abby).

Note: Hours after recording this episode, we learned that soccer journalist Grant Wahl passed away while reporting on the World Cup in Qatar. We will have more to say about Grant as a writer and as a person in tomorrow’s episode.