World Cup Predictions: On the Pitch and Off

Last week, the UK's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) came out with its 'State of the Game' report which said that 94% of football clubs in the country are technically insolvent, and the majority on the edge of financial disaster. But we're here to let you in on a little secret. Despite the being on the edge of financial ruin, football clubs almost never die. Stefan explains why... ...we also explain that unlike football clubs, The Soccernomics Podcast actually will die without continued support from you (sorry, but the segue was too easy)! We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to our Patreon so far. But if we're thinking long-term (which we are) we're going to have to keep asking for continued support. Check out our monthly membership and one-time contribution options below: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast

Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast⁠ It's a big day at The Soccernomics Podcast. We're almost 40 episodes in, and we've loved connecting with all of you over the last five months. It's been incredible to find an audience that loves what we do. Until now this podcast has been self-funded in terms of money, time and labor. We'd like to keep it going for as long as we can, but we've reached the point where we can't do that with your help. By launching The Soccernomics Podcast FC, we're offering different tiers of monthly membership, as well as one-time contribution options. By joining, you'll help us keep this going, but also be part of building a community. As you'll see from our Patreon Link below, the different offerings will give you different perks, including but not limited to ad-free listening, bonus episodes, newsletters, trivia competitions and fantasy football. We explain it all, and why we need your help in today's episode. Join The Soccernomics Podcast FC here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheSoccernomicsPodcast As mentioned in the episode, the first ten members in each tier can get 10% off for the first month. Use the code 53F85 to claim the offer. To maximize your support, please subscribe via web browser rather than the mobile app! (Mobile apps take more fees!)

Simon Kuper drops in to play peacemaker between Stefan and Ashish. Tune in to hear his views on the Manchester City fallout, and whether FIFA President Gianni Infantino has weathered the storm after his failed World Cup sell-off plan. Note: This episode was recorded before the Times of London revealed Gianni Infantino has been receiving an undisclosed second salary at FIFA. As a reminder you can vote for us at The Signal Awards until October 15! ⁠https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

As we expected, we got quite a lot of messages and emails about Stefan's controversial position on Manchester City. And despite pushing back on that position last week, Ashish has also come back thinking he should have pushed even harder. Stefan, for his part, isn't really budging. The stage is set for the most combative episode of The Soccernomics Podcast so far... Tell us what you think at [email protected] And don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards before October 15! https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports

Based on the feedback we've been getting, a lot of you had a lot of thoughts about Stefan's takes on the Manchester City case last week. We knew that was probably gonna be the case. Like many of you, Ashish is also not fully convinced about Stefan's arguments. So consider this Thursday's episode a part two of the debate, where he'll also put some of your questions and points to him. In the meantime, we're republishing an episode that might help you better understand where he's coming from in the first place. This episode was about Stefan's overall views on financial regulations in football - and was recorded at the end of August. It was first published on September 1. None of the dates and references have been changed since that time. Don't forget to vote for us at The Signal Awards: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/sports Voting is open until October 15!