How America is shaping the World Cup

Jun 7, 2026 22 min

About this episode

The World Cup is back in North America for the first time in over 30 years. It’s the most popular sporting event on the globe and with 16 additional teams competing this year, it will be the biggest World Cup to date. But in Trump’s America, visa issues and geopolitical tensions are creating additional challenges for the teams and the fans. Today on The Sunday Story, we bring two of NPR’s biggest soccer nerds onto the show to talk about the competition, the entertainment, and the cultural significance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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