Los Angeles wasn’t supposed to be a football stop.

After weeks on the road, this episode becomes a chance to catch my breath, spend time with an old friend and take stock of the FAN48 journey so far.

Along the way I meet a New Zealand supporter who misses England more than New Zealand, chat football and Liverpool with a British-Egyptian producer, and discover that Los Angeles might be the most underwhelming World Cup city I’ve visited so far.

But the real heart of the episode comes high above the city at Griffith Observatory, where my friend Mark reflects on launching the FIFA World Cup 2026 brand three years ago. Standing in the very place where the world first saw the tournament identity, it feels like a full-circle moment.

There are reflections on friendship, travel, connection and why sometimes stepping away from the football is exactly what you need before diving back in.

Next stop: Miami, Brazil v Scotland, and my first World Cup match inside the stadium.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
FAN48: fan48.info
Instagram: @fan48pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#NewZealandFootball #WorldCup2026 #FootballFans #FAN48 #TravelStories

After four days crossing America by train, I finally arrive in San Francisco.

There are ferries crossing the bay, cable cars climbing impossible hills and the Golden Gate Bridge emerging through the fog. But before I’ve even checked into my hotel, a chance encounter with a man in a Germany shirt sends me in an entirely different direction.

One conversation becomes another. A recommendation leads to a beer garden in Hayes Valley. Suddenly I’m surrounded by German supporters watching their World Cup match, sharing stories about Hamburg, Berlin, Sheffield Wednesday, Japanese-American communities and life in one of America’s most fascinating cities.

This episode isn’t really about football. It’s about what happens when you follow curiosity instead of a plan.

And, naturally, it ends with currywurst and a stein of beer in California.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron

Follow:  https://www.instagram.com/fan48pod
FAN48 – The World Cup Fans Podcast
#WorldCup2026 #TravelPodcast #FootballCulture #SanFrancisco #Fan48

What happens when you’re stuck on a train with strangers for nearly twenty hours?

Leaving Seattle behind, I board the Amtrak Coast Starlight bound for San Francisco. There’s Mount Rainier on one side, the Pacific coastline on the other, and somewhere in between a carriage full of people I’d never otherwise meet.

An Amish family returning from a bear hunt. A Kenyan business analyst. A chemist touring American universities. A melancholy young farmer writing poetry about the world. A Chelsea-supporting PhD student from Bangladesh. And, inevitably, my ongoing battle with people who recline their seats.

As the miles roll by, conversations emerge. Not because anyone planned them, but because a train creates something we seem to have less and less of: shared time, shared space and a shared focus.

This episode isn’t really about trains. It’s about what happens when people stop staring at screens and start staring out of the same window.

FAN48 follows my journey across the USA, Mexico and Canada during the 2026 World Cup, trying to meet a supporter from all 48 competing nations, one conversation at a time.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
FAN48: www.fan48.info
Instagram: @fan48pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#Amtrak #TrainTravel #TravelStories #HumanConnection #SanFrancisco

Seattle wasn’t really on my World Cup radar.

I knew about coffee, Frasier and the Space Needle, but within a few hours of arriving I found a city that feels completely transformed by the tournament.

Mexican fans fill Pioneer Square after becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stages. Seattle locals give me their honest assessment of life in the city. And after setting myself the mission of finding Australian supporters before USA v Australia, I meet two World Cup veterans from Melbourne who explain why following football around the world has become an addiction.

Then things take a slightly unexpected turn.

Because somehow I end up chatting to Australia’s first professional Power Slap athlete, standing beside a Seattle fire engine draped in an Australian flag.

Only at a World Cup.

Fan Nation #12: Australia 🇦🇺

FAN48 – The World Cup Fans Podcast
Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
Follow: @Fan48Pod
WhatsApp voice notes: +44 7939 542216

#Seattle #Australia #Socceroos #MexicoFans #PioneerSquare #WorldCupTravel #FootballCulture #FanStories #SeattleWaterfront #FootballTravel

The World Cup takes me from the fog-shrouded streets of Newfoundland to a sports bar in Edmonton.

In St John’s, I discover a place shaped by fishing, Irish heritage and the spirit celebrated in Come From Away. In Edmonton, the tournament feels more distant. The games are on, but hockey still dominates the screens.

Then I meet Iraj.

Born in Iran and raised in Canada, he’s working behind the bar when a casual chat turns into one of the most fascinating conversations of the journey so far. We talk about immigration, identity, technology, politics, belonging, free speech and what it means to call a country home.

We don’t agree on everything. That’s what makes it interesting.

Along the way there are iceberg beers, towns called Dildo, a frantic attempt to follow England’s opening match from 35,000 feet, and more evidence that the best stories often arrive when you’re not looking for them.

#Canada #Newfoundland #Edmonton #ImmigrationDebate #IdentityAndBelonging #IranianCanadian #TravelStories #SportsBarConversations #WorldCupJourney #HumanStories #CulturalExchange #ConversationNotCommentary #RoadTripPodcast #FanCulture #PeopleOfTheWorld

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
FAN48: @Fan48Pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

Toronto wasn’t where I expected to find the next chapter of FAN48.

After swapping Miami sunshine for Canadian rain, I find myself in a downtown sports bar wondering whether I’ve already grown tired of giant screens and manufactured fan zones. But as ever, the story isn’t in the football. It’s in the people.

An Ecuadorian supporter and her Canadian fiancée explain why representing a small nation on the World Cup stage matters. A bartender reflects on how football is bringing strangers together across one of the world’s most multicultural cities. A Qatari engineering student wrestles with what home means after moving halfway around the world. And somewhere in between, I discover a quiet Toronto bar where the football is simply happening in the background and the conversations take centre stage.

This is FAN48 at its simplest: no pundits, no tactics boards, just people gathering around the same game for very different reasons.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron

FAN48: fan48.info
Instagram: @fan48pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#Toronto #Ecuador #WorldCupFans #CulturalConnections #FAN48

Miami’s World Cup fan park is officially open, and FAN48 heads into the crowds.

First up, two Saudi Arabian supporters explain what it’s like to follow football in a country transformed by investment, ambition and a growing domestic league. They’re travelling thousands of miles to follow their team across the United States and dreaming of another famous upset after beating Argentina in 2022.

Then comes one of those wonderfully random World Cup moments. A Swiss football fan spots an Exeter Chiefs vest in a Miami crowd and rushes over to say hello. What follows is a conversation that somehow links Switzerland, Devon, rugby, volunteering and the biggest football tournament on earth.

Along the way, Scottish supporters share what it means to finally see their nation back on the World Cup stage, while Rob explores the sights, sounds and surprises of Miami’s waterfront fan park as Brazil fans begin to arrive in force.

No pundits. No players. Just people.

#SaudiArabia #ScotlandFans #SwissFootball #WorldCupMiami #FanCulture

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
Instagram: @Fan48Pod
FAN48: https://fan48.info
WhatsApp voice notes welcome: +44 7518 715948

Scotland haven’t just waited four years for this World Cup. For many supporters, they’ve waited a lifetime.

In this episode of FAN48, Rob meets two generations of Scotland fans preparing for the tournament in very different ways.

First, filmmaker Ged Fitzsimmons looks back on Euro 2024, sharing stories from Germany, the friendships that make football trips unforgettable, and why the game itself is sometimes only part of the reason people travel.

Then Rob dials in to Boston, where Scotland supporter Duncan Mackenzie is counting down the hours until Scotland’s opening match against Haiti. From packed pubs and Tartan Army gatherings to hopes of finally seeing Scotland reach the knockout stages, Duncan captures the excitement of a generation experiencing their first World Cup.

A conversation about football, friendship, travel, and what happens when a nation turns up together.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
Instagram: @Fan48Pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#WorldCup2026 #FootballFans #PodcastRecommendation #TravelPodcast #Fan48

The World Cup finally arrives in the United States.

Rob heads to an Irish pub in Miami where members of the American Outlaws supporters group have gathered to watch the USA’s opening match against Paraguay. What starts as an evening of chants, goals and questionable Guinness turns into a fascinating conversation about identity, belonging and what it actually means to support the USA.

Along the way there are encounters with Colombian-Americans, Venezuelan football obsessives, debates about World Cup hosts, reflections on patriotism, and a reminder that the United States isn’t one story at all, but fifty very different ones.

As the USA begin their tournament with a win, FAN48 discovers that football can still create the kind of conversations that rarely happen anywhere else.

No pundits. No players. Just people.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
FAN48: https://fan48.info
Instagram: @Fan48Pod
WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#WorldCup2026 #USMNT #Miami #FootballCulture #AmericanOutlaws #Paraguay #FootballFans #SportsTravel #FanCulture #FAN48

Miami Beach. The opening day of the 2026 World Cup.

Rob heads into the crowds gathering along South Beach, where Colombian yellow seems to outnumber every other colour, Mexican fans are everywhere, and football has temporarily become the centre of the city.

From beachside fan zones and packed sports bars to rooftop reflections overlooking the Atlantic, this episode captures the atmosphere of a World Cup host city finding its rhythm.

Along the way, Rob meets Dylan, a Bolivian football coach chasing a new life in Miami, a Haitian supporter who sees football as something spiritual, and a Uruguayan family attending their third consecutive World Cup.

There are conversations about identity, migration, fandom and belonging. About why people travel. About why football matters. And about what happens when thousands of strangers gather around the same game.

No pundits. No players. Just people.  

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron

Guest: Dylan Cusicanqui
FAN48: fan48.info
Instagram: @fan48pod

WhatsApp: +44 7518 715948

#FAN48 #WorldCup2026 #PodcastRecommendation #TravelPodcast #FootballFans #SoccerFans #SportsPodcast #Storytelling #IndependentPodcast #NewPodcastLaunch #ListenNow #PodcastCommunity #WorldCupJourney #GlobalStories #FootballCulture