World Cup kickoff: Goals, greed, and geopolitics, with ESPN’s Sam Borden

About this episode

Sam Borden discusses the implications of the World Cup, including ticket prices and geopolitical issues.

As the World Cup kicks off this Thursday, scrutiny surrounds ticket prices, disrupted fan travel, potential ICE activity, and FIFA’s murky dealings. ESPN Global Sports Correspondent Sam Borden has covered this tournament from Brazil to Qatar, and he joins Rapid Response to break down the USA's real chance, what Iran's presence on American soil actually means, and whether hosting the world's biggest sporting event is a blessing or a liability right now. Plus, Borden makes the most passionate case you'll hear for why the World Cup matters more than any scoreline. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Sam Borden

Topics covered

• World Cup
• sports journalism
• geopolitics
• FIFA
• ticket prices
• fan travel

Keywords

• World Cup
• Sam Borden
• ESPN
• FIFA
• geopolitics
• sports
• USA
• Iran

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ESPN

Places: USA, Iran, Brazil, Qatar

More episodes of Masters of Scale

• The future of EVs, with Rivian’s RJ Scaringe · June 11, 2026 · 41 min
• Rapid Response: The Guardian’s secret weapon against media’s collapse, with CEO Anna Bateson · June 6, 2026 · 31 min
• Rohan Oza: The playbook for building billion-dollar consumer brands · June 4, 2026 · 28 min
• The race no one can win: AI’s anti-human crisis, with Aza Raskin · June 2, 2026 · 39 min
• How to get better at money, with Carrie Joy Grimes · May 28, 2026 · 31 min
• Why success destroys the companies we love, with Eric Ries · May 26, 2026 · 48 min