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Copa Independent
How to win the World Cup
Season 2, Ep. 8
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As more big players struggle with injury, and there is now an expectation that set-pieces at the World Cup will be refereed in a completely different way to the Premier League, a few international managers are already adapting plans. Which begs a bigger question: what is the best way to win a World Cup?
Are there set approaches? Can you "playbook" it, as Gareth Southgate tried? Do you need an ideology, as Spain have? Are properly world-class attackers essential? Can you still hide away a winning system for a year in the way Sir Alf Ramsey and Carlos Bilardo did? How influential are conditions? Were Brazil 1970 only so good because no one could press in Mexican midday heat?
We get into all of this and more in the latest Copa Independent podcast, with Miguel Delaney, Lawrence Ostlere and - making his debut - Adam Clery.
Don’t forget the special World Cup nostalgia segments in stoppage time, extra time and penalties either, where we decide on the best historic feature of each tournament. This week: the greatest World Cup ad, the next addition to our all-time tournament XI – the big one, the number-10 playmaker – and, of course, some trivia questions.
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11. The big World Cup preview
54:01||Season 2, Ep. 11The World Cup is nearly here and this week on Copa Independent, the team discuss the tournament favourites, the dark horses and, erm, Scotland, as well as how politics and money have created a World Cup like nothing we’ve ever seen before.Will Carlo Ancelotti deliver a record sixth World Cup for Brazil? Is Spain’s midfield the best at the tournament? How far can England go? And could a side like Ecuador or Norway go all the way?Plus trivia on World Cup records, and it’s time to pick the striker in Copa Independent’s all-time World Cup XI.
10. The 10 greatest World Cup players of all time
46:35||Season 2, Ep. 10The World Cup is nearly here, and we’re counting down the best of all time. This week a panel of Independent journalists have voted on their greatest stars.From Pele and Messi to Maradona and Beckenbauer, with a sprinkling of Zidane, Mbappe and Ronaldo in the mix, these are the players who have lit up the “greatest show on earth” over the past 96 years.Independent sports writers Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Kieran Jackson discuss the controversial name in the top 10, why Cristiano Ronaldo was overlooked, and why our No 1 pick just had to top the list.See the full list of the top 50 World Cup players here https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-50-greatest-players-pele-maradona-messi-zidane-ronaldo-b2984529.html
9. Why Tuchel axed England's big names before World Cup
21:06||Season 2, Ep. 9Miguel Delaney and Lawrence Ostlere were at Wembley to see Thomas Tuchel explain his England squad for the 2026 World Cup.They chew over the big-name omissions and why Tuchel didn’t pick Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold – and how Ivan Toney mysteriously returned to the conversation this week. Miguel also discusses his intimate briefing with the England manager. And, under severe pressure from a diligent Wembley security chap, they even find time to pick one more player for Copa Independent’s all-time World Cup XI.
7. Weight of the waistcoat: Is England manager really ‘the impossible job’?
55:19||Season 2, Ep. 7Fourteen men have managed the England men’s team since Sir Alf Ramsey won the World Cup in 1966, and none have come close to repeating the feat. Under high expectation, intense scrutiny and crippling pressure, a series of England managers have been hounded, humiliated, abused and, in Sam Allardyce’s case, stung by a ruthless media. No wonder Graham Taylor called it “the impossible job”.In this week’s episode of “Copa Independent” – The Independent’s new World Cup podcast – chief sports writer Lawrence Ostlere is joined by chief football writer Miguel Delaney and senior sports writer Kieran Jackson to discuss what it takes to be the England manager, why it’s so “impossible” and whether a foreign coach like Thomas Tuchel is the answer.The episode also features a debate on our all-time World Cup XI, as they attempt to select a central midfielder to play alongside German great Lothar Matthaus, with plenty of disagreement before eventually settling on a player who has never won the World Cup.
6. I saw the Spain down in Africa
48:12||Season 2, Ep. 6We all know the ingredients that make a great World Cup, from moments to atmosphere, and 2010 had them all… but was it really a great tournament? Does that depend on age? And what of its champions? Were Spain boring or was it the opposition? Was this England’s worst World Cup? And would you have done what Luis Suarez did against Ghana? Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly get into a right debate about it all.
5. The great World Cup rip-off
47:47||Season 2, Ep. 5With 2026 set to be by far the most expensive World Cup ever to attend, we investigate how it's got to this - and what it means for the future. This isn't just from being in an expensive United States right now. Fifa have been significant drivers, mostly through ticket prices but also some of the deals struck for the tournament, raising further questions about their leadership of the sport. We also speak to Thomas Concannon of the Football Supporters Association, who spells out exactly how difficult this is for fans.
4. Born in the USA: 1994's great American World Cup
45:42||Season 2, Ep. 4As the World Cup returns to America, it would not have been possible without the spectacular success of USA 94. That was actually a huge gamble at the time, but more than paid off - in multiple ways. A colourfully open tournament was the consequence of unique factors coming together at once, but also changed the World Cup for the future. A tournament full of soul had an immense commercial legacy - right up to the Glazers taking over Manchester United. We discuss that and so much more from a tournament packed with storylines and moments, like whether Brazil were actually good winners, whether Baggio’s legacy has been enhanced by that miss and if a World Cup is better without England.
3. Will Donald Trump win the 2026 World Cup?
47:42||Season 2, Ep. 3In the last 15 months alone, the build-up to this World Cup has brought more unprecedented developments than any previous tournament in history, above all a host nation bombing a participant through the Iran war. That raises many questions, right up to what influence Donald Trump is going to have on how this World Cup develops. But there's also another: if any other country was responsible, would there be calls for a boycott?