On this Episode of the 48 Nation Roadmap Harry talks to soccer aficionado Lee Wingate, host of the The Sweeper Podcast. They talk Dutch routes and winning records as they look to score their first World Cup Goals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Make Football Great Again! 🌍⚽

Iraq Football Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/hassananeIraq

Football Podcast on X: https://x.com/IraqFootballPod -

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will the co-hosts shock the world, or repeat past heartbreaks? 🇨🇦⚽

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode Harry is joined by Sudesh Baniya, co-host of the Asian Game podcast, as the 48 nation roadmap brings us to 2022 hosts: Qatar.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can South America’s ultimate clean-sheet machine stun the global powerhouses and go deep into the 2026 World Cup? 🇪🇨🛡️

In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by Copa Club podcast host Nathan Joyce to deliver the definitive team preview for Ecuador.

We skip past standard roster sheets to explore the mind-bending reality of legal escape stunts, geopolitical qualification drama, and the world-class youth academy turning street football into £100M blockbusters.

🔥 Inside this episode, we unpack:

The Valencia Great Escape: The unbelievable true story of how Enner Valencia faked a medical emergency on the pitch to escape law enforcement.

The Valley of Dreams: A deep dive into Independiente del Valle—the revolutionary academy building multi-million-pound pipelines directly to Europe.

The Golden Left-Side Block: Sizing up the monumental defensive solidity of Piero Hincapié and William Pacho.

The Gift of Caicedo: How Moises Caicedo’s record-breaking move to Chelsea fundamentally transformed the infrastructure of Ecuadorian grassroots soccer.

The Star Boy's Burden: The split public opinion inside Quito surrounding Chelsea's teenage phenomenon Kendry Páez.

🔗 Follow Nathan Joyce and the Copa Club Podcast: https://youtube.com/@thecopaclub?si=ScaDBjpnomAO7cgz https://x.com/TheCopaClub -https://open.spotify.com/show/55qUiyYLD4wQWYiCtbeYKa?si=yT8-ZxonS1efeAXfMD5HFQ - https://thecopaclub.substack.com/ - https://x.com/TheCopaClub

🔔 Subscribe to Make Football Great Again so you never miss a stop on our global scouting mission down to the opening match of 2026!

#WorldCup2026 #EcuadorFootball #MoisesCaicedo #EnnerValencia #KendryPaez #PieroHincapie #SoccerPodcast #RoadTo2026

⏳ The Timecodes

0:00 – Teaser: Slaying expectations & South American football as a religion

0:13 – Welcome to Make Football Great Again!

0:41 – Meet Nathan Joyce: Identifying the dark horses of South America

1:10 – Segment: One Truth and One Lie (Guinea pig healers vs. the faked ambulance escape)

3:56 – Historical Context: David Beckham’s free-kick trauma from 2006

4:26 – Segment: The Travel Log – Who is Ecuador's definitive GOAT?

5:47 – Overcoming Poverty: Antonio Valencia’s legacy at Old Trafford

6:39 – Continental Warfare: Squeezing past Brazil and Uruguay in 2002

8:02 – Geopolitical Beef: Why Chile and Peru tried to get Ecuador banned

10:54 – The Altitude Fallacy: Sizing up the thinning air of the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa

12:16 – Deep Dive: Inside the global talent machine at Independiente del Valle

13:42 – The Caicedo Clause: Tracking contract kickbacks from Woking to Brighton

15:02 – Segment: The Scouting Report – Roster sheet and defensive metrics

16:30 – Relishing the 36-Year-Old: Why Ecuador still heavily leans on Enner Valencia

18:44 – Under the Radar: Tracking Alan Minda and Kevin Rodríguez in Belgium

21:02 – The Polarizing Wonderkid: The shifting public opinion on Kendry Páez

23:48 – Safety First: Is manager Sebastián Beccacece too defensively rigid?

26:04 – Sizing up Group E expectations & navigating knockout permutations

27:55 – The England Swap: Giving Harry Kane to an attack crying for goals

28:26 – Rapid Fire Predictions: World Cup Winners & Golden Boot

30:44 – Outrageous Hot Take: Danilo tracks as the next break-out icon

31:40 – Outro & Next Nation Preview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Saudi Arabia recreate the magic of Qatar 2022 and navigate past Spain and Uruguay? 🇸🇦

In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent sits down with Saudi football expert Mo Fayed to trace the definitive 48-nation roadmap for the Green Falcons.

From their dramatic historical managerial turnovers to the structural realities behind the massive investments in the Saudi Pro League, we explore what it will take for this squad to rise above domestic pessimism and make a splash in North America.

We dive deep into the unique fan culture, domestic bottlenecks, and tactical system variables, breaking down:

Follow Mo Fayed for expert Arab football coverage:

🔔 Subscribe to Make Football Great Again on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify to follow our global scouting mission down to the opening match of 2026!

The Timecodes

0:00 – Teaser: Roberto Mancini walks out & an audacious Argentina prediction

0:17 – Welcome to Make Football Great Again!

0:46 – Meet Mo Fayed: Tracking the Green Falcons' narrative trajectory

1:15 – Segment: One Truth and One Lie (Managerial turnover volume vs. the shootout abandonment)

3:32 – Analyzing Mancini's 2023 Asian Cup exit controversy

4:54 – Segment: The Travel Log – Who is Saudi Arabia's true football GOAT?

7:55 – Most Celebrated Result: Slaying Messi and Argentina in Lusail

8:39 – Banter Rivalry: Why Saudi fans closely watch Egyptian football

10:32 – Roster Bottlenecks: Are domestic stars losing essential game time to foreign icons?

13:56 – Foreign Manager Bias: Why the Middle East constantly imports tactical celebrity

15:42 – Look Ahead: Infrastructure, expectations, and hosting 2034

18:35 – Segment: The Scouting Report – Roster breakdown & Ultimate Team gems

20:17 – Sizing up the Talisman: Salem Al-Dawsari vs. Firas Al-Biraikan

21:10 – Under the Radar: Why Mohammed Abu Shamat is a proper threat

22:09 – Group H Breakdown: Surviving Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde

23:37 – Managing Expectations: Sizing up the tactical system under Georgios Donis

25:45 – The Pro League Balance: Living, breathing, and training with Cristiano Ronaldo

28:34 – The Cultural Friction: Coffee culture, late nights, and physical peak ceilings

29:16 – The England Swap: Inserting Harry Kane into the attack

29:47 – Rapid Fire Round: 2026 Tournament Winner & Golden Boot

30:39 – Outrageous Hot Take: Lionel Messi's early exit

31:22 – Outro & Next Nation Preview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Cross joins Harry Brent straight after England's 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

He discusses what it could mean for Thomas Tuchel's selection, and who shone for the Three Lions in Florida - and who needs to up their game.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh from Thomas Tuchel's press conference, ahead of England's pre-World Cup friendly against New Zealand in Tampa, Florida, John Cross shares the mood in the Three Lions camp with Harry Brent.

He discusses how rivalries in the camp could beneficial for England, starters for the Three Lions, and whether Thomas Tuchel's side could literally weather the storm.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup continues! 🌍🏆

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Ralf Rangnick’s tactical rebuild carry Austria past Argentina and the heavyweights of Group J? 🇦🇹⚽

In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the host of The Other Bundesliga podcast, Tom Midler, to trace the definitive tournament preview for Austria.

We discard routine statistical analysis to unlock incredible pieces of administrative hubris, political friction, and the historical coffee house culture that invented modern tactical movements.

🔥 In this episode, we unpack:

The Euro 2008 Petition: The bizarre, true story of tens of thousands of Austrian fans who formally begged their own team to withdraw from the tournament to prevent a national crisis.

The Invention of Total Football: Why the intellectual coffee house circles of Vienna’s Ringstrasse deserve historical credit for inventing tactical fluid movement long before the Netherlands.

The Miracle of Córdoba: Tracing the legendary 1978 win over West Germany that sparked the most unhinged, emotional commentary in sports broadcasting history.

The Rangnick Friction: The ongoing strategic war between a demanding German manager and an old-school Football Association resistant to structural evolution.

The Roster Pipeline Changes: Sizing up Carney Chukwuemeka’s choice to acquire an Austrian passport right before a massive international flight.

The Scandal of Gijón: The long-standing, bitter historical rivalry between Austria and Algeria rooted in an explicit 1982 non-aggression pact.

🔗 Follow Tom Midler and The Other Bundesliga Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@OtherBundesliga - https://x.com/mid_5 - https://x.com/OtherBundesliga

#WorldCup2026 #AustriaFootball #RalfRangnick #DavidAlaba #CarneyChukwuemeka #HarryKane #LamineYamal #SoccerPodcast #RoadTo2026

⏳ The Timecodes

0:00 – Teaser: Emotional commentators hugging on air & the ultimate fan petition

0:17 – Welcome to Make Football Great Again!

0:44 – Meet Tom Midler: Celebrating Austria's long-awaited return to the world stage

1:12 – Segment: One Truth and One Lie (Alpine yodels vs. the formal withdrawal petition)

2:07 – The Psychosocial Malaise: Exploring the fallout of Euro 2008

3:03 – Historical Context: Sizing up the modern Group J matrix

3:30 – Segment: The Travel Log – Who is Austria’s true footballing GOAT?

3:58 – The Paper Man: Tracing the tragic, mysterious legacy of Matthias Sindelar

4:59 – Slaying Champions: Explaining the lingering passion behind Córdoba 1978

6:11 – Banter Rivalry: Why Austrian fans closely look at German and Swiss football

7:43 – Intellectual Pioneers: The tactical architecture born on the Vienna Ringstrasse

9:09 – Striking the Maverick Balance: Marco Arnautović vs. Bureaucratic Elegance

10:37 – Domestic Boundaries: Why Christian Fuchs' Premier League medal feels distant

12:32 – The Shadow of Germany: Why structural change faces stiff local blockades

14:53 – Segment: The Scouting Report – Roster standouts & Ultimate Team additions

15:51 – Rising From the Ashes: Sasa Kalajdzic's emotional Bundesliga double campaign

17:39 – Meet the System Talisman: David Alaba's core center-back transition

19:06 – Under the Radar picks: Sasa Kalajdzic and Michael Gregoritsch

20:33 – Rebuilding the "Gegenpress": Rangnick's tactical war against the local FA chiefs

22:35 – Expanding the Pipeline: Parachuting Carney Chukwuemeka into the roster

26:11 – Group J Analysis: Facing Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan

28:09 – The Scandal of Gijón: Inside the non-aggression pact of 1982

29:34 – Swashbuckling Forwards: Sizing up massive recent results under Rangnick

31:18 – The England Swap: Giving Harry Kane to a forward line crying for goals

32:36 – Rapid Fire Round: 2026 World Cup Winners & Top Scorers

33:58 – Outrageous Hot Take: Inflationary metrics ruin the modern World Cup viewing framework

34:54 – Outro & Next Nation Preview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices