Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Jason Pine: Weekend Sport Host on the FIFA World Cup kicking off for 2026

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Jason Pine: Weekend Sport Host on the FIFA World Cup kicking off for 2026 · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So the weight is over. The fee for World Cup
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: is about to be underway. The opening ceremony is going
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: to kick off at five thirty New Zealand time. There's
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: been plenty of drama off the field, from ticket prices
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: to political tensions, but now the football takes center stage.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Mexico and South Africa are about to kick off at
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Mexico City ceremony, and the voice of Football Jason Pine
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: is with us to look ahead at the tournament morning.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Piney, Hello, Francesca, Mexico.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Versus South Africa, kicking us off at seven am this morning.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Who do you think is starting the tournament strong? Well?
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  Speaker 2: I think Mexico won this game, you know, one of
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: three co hosts. South Africa down the rankings a little
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: bit and at the Azteca Stadium, which will be jam
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: packed with eighty one thousand people who are there I'm
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: sure for the football rather than the opening ceremony, although
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: that'll be nice as well. Look, I think Mexico win
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: this one. Okay. Hosts normally do pretty well at their
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: own World Cup. They know the conditions, big home support
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: of course, and Mexico are a good team. So yeah, Look,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: South Africa may well be up against it today, a
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  Speaker 2: repeat of the twenty ten World Cup opener. This was
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: of course in South Africa when these two teams met
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  Speaker 2: at Soccer City in Johannesburg sixteen years ago.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: So, Jason, I did what everybody who doesn't really have
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: good knowledge of global football does, and I referred to
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: chat GPT as to who the favorites are to win
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: this year, and they told me the top four contenders Spain, France,
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  Speaker 1: Brazil and England, with Argentina close behind. What do you
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: think about.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: That, Yeah, I will chat GBT is pro much got
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: it right, Yeah, I think so. I think what chat
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  Speaker 2: GGP has done has gone to the world rankings and
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: just picked the top five basically.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: So I should have really just left out the bit
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: where I went to chat GPT and then pronounced that
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: this is what I thought would happen, and I would
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: have nailed it.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: You would have. You would have look, and it's hard
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  Speaker 2: to see it coming from outside of that sort of five.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: You know, the cream does tend to rise to the
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  Speaker 2: top when it comes to World Cups. In the early
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  Speaker 2: parts of a tournament, there are upsets, you know, teams,
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  Speaker 2: I mean Argentina won up last time, and they were
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: beaten in group played by Saudi Arabia. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot of sort of jockeying for position early
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: on in a tournament. But as I say, the big
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: teams do tend to come through their experience, their depth,
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: their big game temperament. So I've got France winning it.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: I'll say that today the twelfth of June. I'll be
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: embarrassed July I have. I've just got go with one
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: team right down, France, France.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: I should be able to remember that on the Sunday session.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: But look, surely there are some wild cards to keep
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: an eye out for, some underdog teams that might just
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: delight us.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Always always Japan are one. I love watching Japan play
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: very technical side. They almost always get to the knockout rounds,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: but have trouble getting any further than that. Because it's
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: going to be quite hot in North America during this tournament,
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  Speaker 2: the fact that Japan play a very position based game
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  Speaker 2: will mean that their opponents tire of chasing them around.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: I really like Japan and Ecuador are also a bit
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: of a dark horse. They're from obviously the you know
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: from South America, very good defensive side and we'll have
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: good home supports. So a couple of dark horses there
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: for you, Japan and Ecuador.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Any chance that all whites will leave the group.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Stage, I think they will. I really believe that they can.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: It all rest on a couple of things. First game
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: against Iran on Tuesday. Massive have to get something out
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: of that game, have to start off with at the
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: very least to draw, and have to be a lot
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: more clinical in front of gold. They've had real problems
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: scoring goals against higher ranked opponents in the last year
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  Speaker 2: or so, so when those chances come along, they simply
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: must put them away. Must be clinical in front of goal.
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  Speaker 2: But yes, I fully believe they have what it takes
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  Speaker 2: to make history and get out of the group for
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  Speaker 2: the first time.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Piney, thank you so much for your time this morning.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, or
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.