The New York Cosmos were the original Galacticos, the ultimate glamour club and now they’re back in 2026.

Lee James tells the story of the original club, which was founded in the 1970s and featured star players like Pele, before charting their rebirth in 2026.

He discovers the impact the Brazilian legend Pele had both on and off the pitch. Hearing from former teammates, including goalkeeper Eddie Edgar, finds out how celebrity fans including Mick Jagger followed the team, and learns about the cultural impact the Cosmos also had on the United States.

Lee also attends a training session at the new Cosmos club as they return to professional soccer and speaks to the former Manchester United forward Guiseppe Rossi, who is the Cosmos head of soccer and Erik Stover the CEO who tell us why competing in a league with promotion and relegation will change the domestic game in the US.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Argentina will face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final, after overcoming England in a semi-final that once again showcased their battling spirit - but will Lionel Messi lift the trophy again in New York?

Mani Djazmi is joined by South American football expert Tim Vickery and ESPN Argentina's Francisco Canepa to analyse why the Albicelestes are one game away from retaining their title. Francisco shares what it was like to be part of the crowd in Atlanta, and Tim explains how Messi's changing role with the squad has transformed their fortunes.

We also hear from Argentina's Geronimo Rulli, the Marseille goalkeeper who's taking part in his second World Cup, about his memories of victory in 2022 - and what it's like playing for coach Lionel Scaloni.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Spain produced a masterclass in control to beat pre-tournament favourites France 2-0 in Dallas and secure their place in just their second World Cup final.

BBC football reporter John Bennett tells Lee James why the performance of the European champions is one of the best he's ever seen at a World Cup. Spanish football journalist Ernest Macia explains why their current midfield, led by Rodri, can be compared to that of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta - the engine room of their 2010 World Cup winning side.

French football journalist Sara Menai explains where it all went wrong for Didier Deschamps’ side, while South American football expert Tim Vickery looks ahead to the second semi-final between defending champions Argentina and 1966 winners England. More than the Score's Delyth Lloyd joins the show from New York, where the atmosphere ahead of Sunday's final is building.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Mani Djazmi is joined by Loic Tanzi from L’Equipe and Juan Castro from Marca to preview the World Cup semi-final between France and Spain. France are many people’s favourites to win the tournament, while Spain head into the game on the back of a 36-match unbeaten run.

Mani also gets an Argentinian perspective from journalist Nicolas Rotnitzsky, who says their semi-final against England is one of the most important games in the national team’s history. He’s also predicting the 2026 World Cup final will see his nation meet France in the final, just as they did at Qatar 2022.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Nestory Irankunda, Antonio Rudiger and Alphonso Davies represented Australia, Germany and Canada respectively at the World Cup - and all have links to Africa as refugees.

Germany defender Antonio Rudiger tells the podcast how his brother was close to being forced into becoming a child soldier in Sierra Leone, and had to hide in a bag of rice to escape. Rudiger also discusses his childhood experience of living in a refugee centre in Germany.

John Bennett and Ian Williams are also joined by Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and chief executive of Global Refuge, a non-profit organisation which has previously worked with the US State Department to resettle refugees. They discuss the players’ stories, and the challenges refugees face.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Italy has six players inside the men's world top 50 including number one and four-time Grand Slam champion, Jannik Sinner.

Jasmine Paolini is flying the flag on the women's side while Sara Errani - one of the most successful doubles players in recent history - is still winning tournaments at the age of 39. The country has also won the last three Davis Cups and won the Billie Jean King Cup back-to-back in 2024 and 2025.

Delyth Lloyd is joined at Wimbledon by former player and current tournament director of the Italian Open and director of women's tennis at the Italian Tennis Federation, Paolo Lorenzi, to discuss what's behind the rise of the sport in the country. We also hear from Sinner and Paolini as well as Italian tennis journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta.

More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoreline from all over the world of sport. From the World Cup to F1, golf to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes like heavyweight boxing champion Fabio Wardley, Tour de France winner Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, trailblazing Samoan athlete Alex Rose and cricket superstar Smriti Mandhana, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels. And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

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Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wrote himself into Olympic history earlier this year, by breaking the all-time tally for gold medals won by a Winter Olympian. But this summer, he has been dividing his time between training and travelling back and forth to the US to support Norway at the World Cup.

More than the Score’s Lee James has been speaking to the Norwegian icon ahead of his fellow countrymen’s World Cup quarter-final against England. Klaebo compares his approach to training and recovery to that of Erling Haaland, and reflects on meeting the Norway striker and his exploits at the World Cup. Klaebo says Norwegians are proud Haaland chose to represent Norway over England.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Athletes' memoirs and autobiographies are among the biggest-selling books around the world each year - but often, the words aren't entirely their own. Many sports stars work with 'ghostwriters' - professional authors who turn their stories into bestselling prose.

In November 2025, More than the Score's Lee James and John Bennett talked to Jonathan Northcroft from UK newspaper the Sunday Times, who's worked on autobiographies and memoirs with stars including former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. How do ghostwriters help sportspeople turn their anecdotes, memories and personal stories into books, and how do they make sure their words do justice to their subject's story?

More than the Score tells stories from all over the world of sport. From Formula One to netball, MMA to figure skating, and Grand Slam tennis to Diamond League athletics. We've got interviews with extraordinary athletes, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from football super-agents to the coaches keeping athletes in peak form. Plus, we've got the expertise of the BBC's top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.

And if you've got your own take on the stories we cover, we'd love to hear from you. Email [email protected], or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Plenty of players have made names for themselves at this World Cup, from goalkeepers like Cape Verde’s Vozinha and Paraguay’s Orlando Gill to New Zealand midfielder Elijah Just. But though they might not have been familiar to fans, the extent of modern scouting means clubs all over the world will already have known about many of them – so how have their heroics at the tournament affected their standing in the game, and their value in the transfer market?

We’re at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup and four of the eight teams involved have never won football's greatest prize.

For Morocco to do so, they must first overcome two-time champions, France, in their quarter-final in Boston. Belgium face 2010 winners Spain. Erling Haaland's Norway must beat 1966 winners England to progress, while Switzerland face holders Argentina.

Former Switzerland international, Johan Djourou, won over 70 caps for his country and played at three World Cups. He explains to Lee James why his nation has a strong chance of knocking out Lionel Messi's side. North African football journalist, Maher Mezahi, discusses Morocco's chances against the pre-tournament favourites.

More than the Score brings you more than the men’s football World Cup - the new teams, standout stars, trends and fandoms shaping the tournament in ways the stats don’t show. With 48 teams competing across Mexico, the US and Canada, BBC World Service promises to take you deeper - from the group stages to the final. Search for More than the Score wherever you get your BBC podcasts.