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Gordon Ramsay: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Gordon Ramsay is one of the world's leading chefs and is cosy with with all corners of high society. He's friends with David Beckham, he's played soccer with Diego Maradona and he's cooked for Pele. In the latest episode of The Athletic's 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' World Cup series, Ramsay opens up about how close he came to making it as a soccer professional and why his two biggest loves in life overlap.

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Wagner Moura: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

You know Wagner Moura from his starring roles portraying Pablo Escobar in Narcos and and The Secret Agent. What you may not know is his love of soccer. The first Brazilian actor to win or be nominated in his category at the Golden Globes, Moura is a life-long soccer obsessive. In the latest episode from The Athletic's 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' series, Moura tells us why his first memories are not of movies, but of watching soccer back in his home town of Bahia.

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Tom Hiddleston: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Tom Hiddleston love for soccer has run alongside his acting career, but long since preceded it. It all started with watching England compete at the European Championship in 1996 and later turned into a love affair with Arsenal when he moved to North London to study acting more than 25 years ago.

In the latest of The Athletic's 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' World Cup series, the Marvel actor discusses why he's feeling bullish about England's chances this summer - particularly under new head coach Thomas Tuchel.

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Zohran Mamdani: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's personal love affair with soccer is well documented, but he wants the rest of New York City to fall in love with sport too. In the latest instalment of The Athletic's 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' World Cup series, Mamdani talks about his own World Cup memories, how Arsenal can take the next step and how he fought for discounted ticket prices for New Yorkers.

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Brandon Aubrey: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

Brandon Aubrey is best-known as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, having signed a four-year $28 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys in April. Yet he entered the NFL as a 28-year-old rookie, having previously been a first-round pick as a center-back in the Major League Soccer Draft for Toronto FC.

He sits down with The Athletic's Adam Crafton for the latest in the 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' World Cup series to discuss his fondness for the sport that nearly shaped his career and how far the USMNT can go in the tournament.

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Brian Cox: Why I Love The Beautiful Game Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

In the first of The Athletic's 'Why I Love The Beautiful Game' World Cup series in which some of the world’s most recognisable and talented people explain what football (or soccer) means to them, The Athletic's Adam Crafton sits down with iconic stage and screen actor Brian Cox. Cox is most known for his role as Logan Roy in HBO's Grammy award winning series Succession, but his roots - and love of football - are based in Dundee, Scotland.

Cox's fondness for the current Arsenal team may be mistaken for allegiance, but that belongs to Manchester United, a Premier League club steeped in Scottish heritage, as he details during this interview from his home in Brooklyn.

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The World Cup and War May 03, 2026

Show notes

This summer's World Cup in North America is the biggest in size and scale and now, arguably, the most controversial. The tournament kicks off in less than 40 days. Co-hosts USA remain at war with Iran, with fellow Middle East participants and historic allies drawn into the conflict - and FIFA caught in the middle. Travel bans, political protests and fears over ICE guarantee a turbulent countdown.

This special episode hears from players, coaches, fans, regional experts and human rights advocates on the geopolitical backdrop to World Cup 2026.

Presenter: Adam Leventhal

Producer: Paul Iliffe

Audio from: AP, BBC, The Guardian, Reuters, FIFA, England Records, beIN

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Anatomy of a Transfer: Your Questions Answered Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Exotic clauses, tapping up and how much agents really get paid. Your questions answered is the transfer special that you control.

Adam Leventhal heads to Malaga and beyond to pose your enquiries to those operating in the transfer market right now.

Contributions and insight comes from 15 representatives from multiple Premier League, European and global clubs — including takes from the U.S., Brazil, Morocco, Japan and Australia — and financial and legal experts with a deep knowledge of the transfer business.

Scouts, sporting directors, agents and former players telling you what it's really like working in the transfer business.

Writer & Presenter: Adam Leventhal

Producer: Jay Beale

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Can sport make huge profits sustainably? Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

The global sports industry is booming — already worth an estimated $2.3 trillion a year, with projections suggesting it could almost triple by 2050. But according to a new report from the World Economic Forum, that growth is far from guaranteed.

In this episode of The Athletic FC, Matt Slater digs into the findings of Sports for People and Planet, a report that warns climate change and rising physical inactivity could threaten sport’s long-term business model. So how can sport — and football in particular — continue to grow without undermining its own future?

First, Matt speaks to Tony Simpson, one of the report’s authors from consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, to unpack the numbers and the risks facing the industry. Then, attention turns to the club level, with insights from Rishi Jain of Liverpool FC on how one of football’s biggest institutions is thinking about sustainability, responsibility and profit in the years ahead.

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The Underground World of Illegal Streaming Nov 09, 2025

Show notes

Does the rise of illegal streaming pose an existential threat to football?

To answer that question, Adam Leventhal has spent the last six months looking into the culture, crime and crisis associated with pirating live football matches.

In this special episode of The Athletic FC Podcast you'll hear undercover reporting and behind the scenes access to police investigations, including how the world's largest illegal sports streaming platform was taken down.

We get the takes of match-going fans, and ask if 'Premflix' is the future of Premier League broadcasting?

If you're an Athletic subscriber you can have your say here.

And if you're not yet a subscriber, join here and have your say.

Please note that the documentary has content some listeners may find upsetting.

Host: Adam Leventhal

Mixing: Jay Beale

Producer: Abi Paterson

Featuring footage from Amazon, Sky Sports, tallkSPORT, Leaders.

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