The Atlantic
The Atlantic
@TheAtlantic·924K subscribers·1.9K videos

How the World Cup Explains the World

Posted

June 25, 2026

Views

176

Likes

13

Comments

3

Engagement

9.09%

Search the Record

Indexed

Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.

Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.

Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line

YouTube Description

as posted by the channel

In his classic book How Soccer Explains the World, the Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer theorized that the sport was a mirror of the world, particularly in its shift from tribalism to interdependence. More than two decades after the book came out, the world is different in many ways, but he says the title still holds true.

Foer joins to discuss the World Cup. Who he’s excited to watch. How the global game has changed over the years. And how this year’s World Cup offers global audiences a gentler form of nationalism—one that we may not be used to lately, and may indeed learn from.

- - -

Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzerwinning journalism, from cleareyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener () .

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ()

Guests & Subjects Covered

How Soccer ExplainsFranklin FoerWorld Cup WhoWorld CupApple Podcasts Subscribe

Sentinel Indexing in Progress

Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.

All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.