
World Cup kickoff: Goals, greed, and geopolitics, with ESPN’s Sam Borden
From Rapid Response by WaitWhat
June 9, 2026 · 32 min
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
- ticket prices
- FIFA
- fan travel
Keywords
- World Cup
- Sam Borden
- ESPN
- FIFA
- geopolitics
- ticket prices
- fan travel
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ESPN
Places: USA, Iran, Brazil, Qatar
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