International Soccer Preview

Summary

This is Series 32: A preview of Curacao’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It is actually a catch-up episode, to complete the collection, since we were unable to finish all teams before the World Cup.

This episode is the first part of section 3 of the full mediacast. It is the SPOTLIGHT REVIEW: a summary of section 2 and covers:

- The main players position-by-position

- The likelihood players had of making the final squad

- The main players who were and were not selected

- A prediction as to which of those players would start

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:10

Section 3 Intro – 0:25

- Manager – 1:15

- Goalkeepers – 1:28

- Defence – 1:57

- Midfield – 4:57

- Attacking midfield – 6:14

- Forwards – 8:01

Awkwardly cut outro – 8:47

Links

Here are the links to the full version:

Video: https://youtu.be/teigTuD552Y

Podcast: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/d7b151fc-1b85-48f4-8967-a3fee50a1868/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Summary

This is Series 32: A preview of Ivory Coast’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It is actually a catch-up episode, to complete the collection, since we were unable to finish all teams before the World Cup.

This episode is the first part of section 3 of the full mediacast. It is the SPOTLIGHT REVIEW: a summary of section 2 and covers:

- The main players position-by-position

- The likelihood players had of making the final squad

- The main players who were and were not selected

- A prediction as to which of those players would start

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:10

Section 3 Intro – 0:26

- Manager – 1:06

- Goalkeepers – 1:26

- Defence – 2:01

- Midfield – 4:19

- Attacking midfield – 5:34

- Forwards – 7:20

Awkwardly cut outro – 8:18

Links

Here are the links to the full version:

Video:

https://youtu.be/qTN972OdzcA

Podcast:

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b8815490-ca3b-4b39-be14-b9cba92964ff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Congo DR’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 4:27

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 8:10

- Manager – 8:15

- Goalkeepers – 11:31

- Defenders – 18:13

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 42:30

- Attacking Midfielders – 56:00

Forwards – 1:15:15

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:24:24

- Review of Candidates - 1:25:14

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:32:15

- Big Names off the Squad - 1:34:43

- Review of Injuries - 1:34:55

- Closing Thoughts -1:35:46

- Mediacast information – 1:36:44

Outro – 1:37:35

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Uzbekistan’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 2:49

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 10:40

- Manager – 10:50

- Goalkeepers – 16:33

- Defenders – 22:27

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 57:41

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:11:40

Forwards – 1:35:53

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:45:34

- Review of Candidates - 1:46:14

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:58:42

- Big Names off the Squad - 2:01:25

- Review of Injuries - 2:02:25

- Closing Thoughts -2:06:07

- Mediacast information – 2:07:50

Outro – 2:08:52

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Colombia’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 3:28

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 9:43

- Manager – 9:50

- Goalkeepers – 13:11

- Defenders – 22:43

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 50:22

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:04:35

Forwards – 1:37:23

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:49:27

- Review of Candidates - 1:50:19

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:59:39

- Big Names off the Squad - 2:01:27

- Review of Injuries - 2:04:30

- Closing Thoughts -2:04:43

- Mediacast information – 2:05:48

Outro – 2:06:19

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Portugal’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

I love this recursive look at the portfolio.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 2:45

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 7:31

- Manager – 7:36

- Goalkeepers – 10:09

- Defenders – 19:44

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 48:47

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:04:17

Forwards – 1:32:02

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:40:17

- Review of Candidates - 1:41:04

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:51:20

- Big Names off the Squad - 1:53:15

- Review of Injuries - 1:54:36

- Closing Thoughts -1:55:40

- Mediacast information – 1:57:06

Outro – 1:57:32

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Jordan’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 2:41

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 10:22

- Manager – 10:28

- Goalkeepers – 14:06

- Defenders – 18:31

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 53:52

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:07:35

Forwards – 1:25:20

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:34:12

- Review of Candidates - 1:35:01

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:46:48

- Big Names off the Squad - 1:48:45

- Review of Injuries - 1:51:12

- Closing Thoughts -1:53:37

- Mediacast information – 1:54:50

Outro – 1:55:55

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Algeria’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 3:03

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 7:37

- Manager – 7:41

- Goalkeepers – 11:26

- Defenders – 21:12

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 45:56

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:00:51

Forwards – 1:22:48

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:33:21

- Review of Candidates - 1:34:23

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:44:57

- Big Names off the Squad - 1:47:04

- Review of Injuries - 1:52:41

- Closing Thoughts -1:54:12

- Mediacast information – 1:56:57

Outro – 1:57:29

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Austria’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 2:28

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 7:17

- Manager – 7:26

- Goalkeepers – 9:49

- Versatile Player – 18:20

- Defenders – 20:58

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 46:48

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:00:32

Forwards – 1:18:01

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:28:16

- Review of Candidates - 1:29:07

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 1:37:58

- Big Names off the Squad - 1:39:48

- Review of Injuries - 1:40:28

- Closing Thoughts -1:41:06

- Mediacast information – 1:42:08

Outro – 1:42:35

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/

Description

This is series 32: A complete and thorough preview of Argentina’s players for the 2026 FIFA World Cup .

Section 1 is some preliminary information on the team: the games they have played since the last major tournament, the formations they favour and the warm-up games played before the cup.

Section 2 is the main part of the mediacast. We go to go position-by-position, covering all candidates who have played in the past two years, telling who made it to the final squad and preliminary squad if there was one, introducing the final selections, summarizing the position over the recent period and which players have been starting, then predicting the starting line-up.

Section 3 will be also used use as a short version of the mediacast, starting with a summary of section 2, then summarizing surprises in the selections, mentioning big names off the squad, and covering the role injuries played.

Navigation

Musical Introduction – 0:00

Spoken Introduction – 0:30

Section 1: Information on team – 3:22

- Recent games and formations, upcoming games

Section 2: Candidates – 11:05

- Manager – 11:12

- Goalkeepers – 13:58

- Defenders – 23:28

- Defensive and Central Midfielders – 53:33

- Attacking Midfielders – 1:12:15

Forwards – 1:40:08

Section 3: Conclusion – 1:56:57

- Review of Candidates - 1:58:31

- Surprises in Squad Selection - 2:09:02

- Big Names off the Squad - 2:11:00

- Review of Injuries - 2:13:01

- Closing Thoughts -2:14:23

- Mediacast information – 2:16:01

Outro – 2:16:48

Links

Use the link below for the mediacast that introduces Soccerphiles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGoGw3c4mU

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/af1b585a-9609-432e-bfbc-1901376b1bff/

Our Youtube channel has organized each of the series into its own playlist. Find it here:

https://www.youtube.com/@soccerphiles/playlists

Our podcast host has all the episodes in reverse chronological order. Find it here:

https://soccerphiles.captivate.fm/