World Cup politics, with the Financial Times' Simon Kuper

About this episode

Simon Kuper joins Ian Bremmer to discuss the political implications and profitability of the World Cup.

The World Cup is the planet's biggest sporting event, and the most political one. This year, it will also be the most profitable spectacle of all time. Sports writer Simon Kuper joins Ian Bremmer to discuss how soccer became a stage for nationalism, identity, power, and profit.

People in this episode

Host: Ian Bremmer

Guest: Simon Kuper

Topics covered

• World Cup
• politics
• nationalism
• identity
• power
• profit
• sports

Keywords

• World Cup
• politics
• Simon Kuper
• nationalism
• identity
• profit
• soccer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Financial Times

More episodes of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

• The Supreme Court's biggest tests ahead, with Emily Bazelon · June 6, 2026 · 26 min
• Winners and losers of the Iran war, with Kori Schake · May 16, 2026 · 21 min
• How AI is transforming warfare and the US military with Katrina Manson · May 9, 2026 · 37 min
• Cuba's Trump standoff and economic crisis with Michael Bustamante · April 25, 2026 · 25 min
• North Korea's nuclear gamble pays off, with the WSJ's Jonathan Cheng · April 18, 2026 · 28 min
• Assessing the Iran War's "structural damage" with Harvard economist Gita Gopinath · April 11, 2026 · 32 min