America 2026: A World Cup podcast

America 2026 roared into life in the stadium formerly known as the Azteca in Mexico City last night, with a match that was a much better occasion than it was a game. Elsewhere, early risers will have enjoyed much schadenfreude as the Czechs slumped to an opening-round loss to South Korea in Guadalajara. Malachy Clerkin and the fresh face of Gavin Cooney join Paul Howard in studio to chat about the opening games, their watch strategies, and how much of a role these new-fangled "hydration breaks" might play in who takes home the trophy. Plus, we explore 2026 Derangement Syndrome, where even in our wildest World Cup fantasies, we still cannot imagine the Republic of Ireland as anything other than a gloriously middling team in this tournament.

Not even a bowl of Mauricio Pochettino's lemons could soak up the negativity hanging over the host nation of World Cup 2026. From reports of FIFA referees being turned around at the border to the Iranian national team being permitted nothing more than day trips into the country, it's the events off the pitch that have been dominating global headlines.Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan joins us from LA to pick through the situation on the ground, while Kevin runs the rule over what to expect from tomorrow's opening games and how the USMNT are shaping up with the weight of a divided US on their shoulders.Plus, with so many Canadians having long preferred to back the countries of their family heritage over their own, is this finally the year Les Rouges truly become "Canada's team"?

Maybe the worst thing about the Republic of Ireland losing their World Cup place to Czechia is missing out on the chance to play tournament co-hosts Mexico in their home stadium - the Estadio Azteca - almost 40 years to the day since Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' moment cemented its status as one of the truly iconic stadiums in world football.Paul, Kevin and Malachy discuss the state of play for both Mexico and Canada, as teams and as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. Can Mexico top their group to keep home advantage? Can Canada claim their first ever World Cup point? We also chat to Andrew Downie, a foreign correspondent for Reuters based in Brazil and the author of a number of acclaimed sports books, including a personal favourite of Paul’s, "Doctor Socrates".Andrew tells us how the 1986 earthquakes in Mexico City jeopardised the country's chances of hosting the World Cup last time round, how they managed to avoid losing the tournament, and the social and political ripple effects the disaster had on Mexican society.

With World Cup 2026 one week away, Paul Howard, Kevin Kilbane and Malachy Clerkin kick off our podcast coverage of the tournament.The Irish Times will publish episodes of America 2026 several times per week between now and the final on July 19th. Listen for analysis of all the football, digressions into World Cup history and coverage of the big stories happening inside and outside the stadiums.On today’s episode Paul, Kevin and Mal preview the tournament. Who are favourites to win? Who are the players to watch? Is there any merit to the expanded number of teams competing? And are we allowed to enjoy this World Cup with all the political and ethical baggage attached to it?Plus, Paul shamelessly name-drops while recounting his last World Cup final experience and Mal recalls his dressing-down by US president Donald Trump. 

Malachy Clerkin, Kevin Kilbane and Gavin Cummiskey are here to talk about the final round of games World Cup qualification matches. In part one we look at last night in the Aviva and Ireland's campaign as a whole. are we in a better place now? And what is Seamus Coleman's future in the Ireland setup?In part two we look at the playoff deciders, where there were plenty of surprising results including Bosnia and Herzegovina beating Italy on penalties. Finally we look ahead to some of the tantalising and not-so-tantalising matchups in the World Cup.

Ireland’s World Cup dream ended in heartbreaking fashion, giving up a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic to ultimately lose on penalties. Paul Howard and Kevin Kilbane talk about the disappointment of failing to progress after a dominant first half performance, the penalty that gave the Czech Republic belief and how the rest of the match unfolded.

Relive the glory and the heartbreak of Ireland's previous attempts to reach a major tournament with someone who was there to experience the joy, fight some losing battles and witness that handball. Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard look back at playoff games past: Belgium, World Cup 1998Turkey, Euro 2000Iran, World Cup 2002France, World Cup 2010

Paul Howard and Kevin Kilbane preview Ireland v Czech Republic:Ireland’s squadHandling the pressure of a playoff How Ireland won back to back games against Portugal and Hungary Match fitness and the impact of players not getting regular football The Troy Parrott factor The Czech team Should we practice penalties? Kelleher’s penalty-saving prowess