The World Cup is a sporting competition between national football teams to determine the best of them. But it’s always been a vessel for so much more, not least the ambitions of political leaders ranging from the mildly ethical to the downright evil. Host countries want to tell a story about themselves on the global stage, the winners make the case for their own national greatness, and there are a million more stories around this famous tournament that nobody planned for.

A new book from Jonathan Wilson — columnist for The Guardian, co-host of the Libero podcast, and esteemed local Substacker — seeks to tell the very best tales from nearly 100 years of World Cup football. The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup is a delightful read, full of sharp insight and laugh-out-loud moments. From Benito Mussolini’s bonus trophy for the 1934 World Cup winners — the Coppa del Duce — to the inside story of France’s disastrous 2010 World Cup, to the insidious inner workings of FIFA in the modern era, it’s all there.

Wilson joins the show this week to talk a little Premier League title race before we get into his book, the latest edition of the World Cup next summer, why Gianni Infantino’s reign as FIFA chief makes us all pine for the days of Sepp Blatter, and a whole lot more.

Go get your copy of The Power and the Glory after you’ve had a listen here!

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There’s a big game down in Italy on Saturday, but there’s only one headliner for this weekend. It’s El Clásico, Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu, the biggest game in club football outside the late stages of the Champions League.

This one is box office each and every time, even if we’ve descended somewhat from the interstellar days of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. We’ll make do with Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Jude Bellingham, and whoever wins out here will take pole position in the Spanish title race. With Atlético Madrid fading somewhat, this is a campaign that could well end with both these teams taking 90+ points — or, as this week’s guest suggests, perhaps they both have more weaknesses than you might think.

Here to help us get our bearings ahead of kickoff on Sunday (11:15am ET / 3:15pm UK) is Dan Hilton of The Barcelona Podcast.

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Club football is back and so is Germany’s biggest game. It’s BAYERN MUNICH vs BORUSSIA DORTMUND in Der Klassiker.

The Bavarian hosts have returned to their formidable best with 11 wins from 11 matches across all competitions. Bayern have scored 25 goals in six Bundesliga matches, with Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, and Michael Olisé firing on all cylinders. They are once again among the favorites to win the Champions League.

The last couple of years weren’t up to Dortmund’s standards domestically, as they fell away from what they’ll feel is their rightful place as Bayern’s main challengers. They look to have reclaimed that place from Bayer Leverkusen and are unbeaten in the league, though they’ve relied more on stout defense than explosive attack.

It’s shaping up to be a beauty, and joining us to preview the match is the commentary team who will be delivering it to American viewers on ESPN at 12:30pm ET on Saturday: Derek Rae and Stewart Robson, who also happen to be co-commentators for EA Sports FC 26 — and many previous iterations of the famous franchise formerly known as FIFA!

We get into how they record for the video games, their travels together across Germany and shared taste for bratwurst, and much more...

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