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On the 562nd Sporticast episode, hosts Eben Novy-Williams and Justin Birnbaum discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including takeaways from the opening days of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
The hosts talk through a number of pre-tournament storylines, providing updates now that most teams have played one group stage game. What’s the latest with ticket prices? Were the pre-tournament concerns about public transportation warranted? How about the issues regarding visas and immigration status?
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Next they discuss the most enduring storyline of the first few days: the fans. Viral stories involving fans—Europeans discovering pillars of American consumerism, Scottish fans in Boston, Kansans embracing Algerians, Norwegians rowing up an escalator, Japanese fans cleaning up after games, millions of people following the Cape Verde goalie, etc.—have taken over the internet in the tournament’s first few days. It’s unclear if that will sustain throughout the tournament, but it’s added a wrinkle that didn’t exist in the same way four years ago in Qatar.
They also talk about a dream start for the tournament’s biggest names. On Tuesday alone, Kylian Mbappé scored twice for France, Erling Haaland scored a pair for Norway and Lionel Messi scored the tournament’s first hat trick for Argentina. That’s critical for FIFA. Much like March Madness in college basketball, organizers would like early underdog stories to give way to later success by the biggest brands.
They close by talking specifically about the USMNT, including its highest-paid players and the growing expectations after an opening 4-1 win over Paraguay.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sporticast-fans-story-world-cup-095500080.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-18 09:55:00
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