From 1998 to 2034: The World Cup Then and Now

From 1998 to 2034: The World Cup Then and Now

From The Real Deal: A Real Madrid Podcast by The Real Deal Podcast

July 20, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

The episode reflects on past World Cups and discusses the future of the tournament and football in the USA.

The World Cup is over, but we aren't done soaking in the vibes. Jarod Hector and Siddharth Ramsundar look back on the tournaments that shaped how they see football, from France 1998 and South Africa 2010 to Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.They remember the players, games and personal moments that made each tournament feel different: Ronaldo Nazário, Zidane, Casillas, Spain’s legendary midfield, Germany’s 2014 team, Brazil’s 7-1 collapse, James Rodríguez, Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick against Spain and the strange winter World Cup in Qatar.The conversation then turns to the tournament we just watched in North America, what it revealed about Team USA, the growth of football in the United States, MLS, pay-to-play development and why the sport still struggles to produce elite American players.Finally, we look ahead to what comes next: a possible 64-team World Cup, the future of African qualifying, why FIFA wants China and India involved, the overloaded international calendar, Saudi Arabia 2034 and which countries can realistically host a tournament this large.A wide-ranging conversation about the World Cups we remember, the one we just lived through and the future of…

People in this episode

Host: Jarod Hector

Guest: Siddharth Ramsundar

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Places: France, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia

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