Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep173: FIFA World Cup 2026

Transcript

Ep173: FIFA World Cup 2026 · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts yours.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're going on a super cool adventure into the world of
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  soccer, or football as it's called in most countries.
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  And not just any soccer event, but the biggest one of all, the
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  FIFA World Cup. Get your soccer shoes on and
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  your cheering voices ready, because we're going to explore
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  everything about the 2026 FIFA World Cup, what teams are
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  playing, how the games are scheduled, and where all the
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  action will take place. Let's kick off with a quick
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  question. Have you ever played in a big
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  school tournament, maybe with teams from different classes or
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  even different schools? Imagine that, but instead of
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  just your school, it's the whole world.
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  The FIFA World Cup is like the Olympics of soccer, bringing
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  together the best teams from all over the planet every four years
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  to compete for the biggest trophy in the sport.
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  Now let's zoom in on the 2026 FIFA World Cup and see what
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  makes it extra special. First up, teams.
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  In most past World Cups, there were 32 teams.
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  But guess what? In 2026, for the first time
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  ever, there will be 48 teams. That's right, almost 50 teams
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  from different countries will get to play.
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  It's like inviting the whole neighborhood to your birthday
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  party instead of just a few friends.
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  More teams mean more matches, more goals and even more
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  excitement. So how do these teams get
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  picked? Well, every country around the
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  world has a national team, but only the best teams make it to
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  the World Cup. They have to compete in special
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  matches called qualifiers. It's a bit like tryouts, but for
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  countries. The teams that win the most
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  games in their area like Europe, Africa, Asia and so on get to go
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  to the World Cup. Now here's a fun fact.
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  For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, three countries will
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  automatically get to play because they're hosting the
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  event together. These countries are the United
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  States, Canada and Mexico. It's the first time three
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  countries have ever shared hosting duties.
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  Imagine if your school, your friends school and another
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  school down the street all joined together to put on the
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  biggest soccer event ever. That's what's happening in 2026.
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  With 48 teams, there will be more countries from Africa, Asia
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  and North America playing than ever before.
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  This means we'll get to see new teams and players who might
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  surprise everyone with their skills and teamwork.
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  Maybe a country that has never played in the World Cup before
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  will score an amazing goal or even win a match for the very
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  first time. Now let's talk about the
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  schedule, because with so many teams, we need a smart way to
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  organize all the games. Imagine you have a giant box of
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  Lego bricks and you want to build as many cool things as
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  possible without running out of time.
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  That's how FIFA, the organization that runs the World
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  Cup, plans the schedule first. The 48 teams will be split into
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  twelve groups, with four teams in each group.
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  Each team in a group plays against the other teams in the
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  group. It's like when you play a round
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  Robin tournament at school where everyone gets a chance to play
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  each other. After all the group matches, the
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  two best teams from each group will move on to the next round,
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  called the knockout stage. And just like in a video game,
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  if you lose in the knockout stage, you're out.
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  The winners keep playing until there are only two teams left.
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  These two teams play in the final match to decide who will
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  be the world champion. But wait, there's more.
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  Because there are 48 teams, there will be more matches than
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  ever before, over 100 games in total.
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  That means more goals, more celebrations and more dramatic
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  moments. Can you imagine the roar of the
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  crowd when a last minute goal is scored to win a match?
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  Or the excitement of a penalty shootout where players take
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  turns trying to score with just the goalkeeper to beat.
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  These are the moments that make the World Cup so thrilling.
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  Now let's travel to where all this action is going to happen.
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  The venues. Remember, the 2026 World Cup
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  will be held in three countries, the United States, Canada and
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  Mexico. That means the games will take
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  place in stadiums all across North America.
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  It's like having a super sized sports festival that moves from
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  city to city. the United States will host most of the matches
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  with games in huge stadiums in cities like New York, Los
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  Angeles, Dallas and Miami. Imagine playing soccer in a
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  giant stadium that can hold over 80,000 fans.
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  That's like your whole town cheering you on.
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  Some of these stadiums are famous for other sports, like
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  American football, but they'll be transformed for soccer.
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  During the World Cup, Canada and Mexico will also host matches in
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  their biggest cities. In Canada, games will be played
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  in Vancouver and Toronto, where fans will bring their Maple Leaf
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  flags and cheer for their teams. In Mexico, matches will be held
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  in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
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  Mexico City stadium is extra special.
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  It's called a Stadio Azteca and it's one of the most famous
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  soccer stadiums in the world. Did you know it's the only
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  stadium that has hosted 2 World Cup finals before?
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  That's like being the classroom where the school's spelling bee
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  happened twice. All together, there will be 16
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  different stadiums used for the World Cup in 2026.
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  Each one will be packed with fans from all over the world
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  waving flags, singing songs and showing their team spirit.
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  It's like a giant, colorful global party.
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  And here's another fun fact. Because the World Cup is being
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  held in three countries, fans will get to travel and explore
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  different cultures, foods and traditions.
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  Imagine eating tacos in Mexico, pancakes in Canada, and pizza in
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  the USA, all while watching amazing soccer matches.
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  Let's not forget about the final match, the biggest game of all.
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  It will be played in one of the largest stadiums in the United
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  States, and millions of people around the world will be
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  watching on TV. The two best teams will face off
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  and at the end, one country will lift the famous FIFA World Cup
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  trophy. The trophy is made of gold and
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  stands about as tall as a soccer ball.
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  It's the dream of every soccer player to hold it up high and
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  celebrate with their teammates. Now, you might be wondering what
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  makes the World Cup so special. It's not just about winning or
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  losing. It's about countries coming
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  together, players showing respect, and fans from all
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  backgrounds sharing their love for the game.
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  It's about the magic of soccer, bringing the world closer for a
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  few weeks every four years. Let's go over some.
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  Did you know moments to impress your friends?
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  Did you know that the World Cup is watched by more people than
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  any other sporting event in the world?
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  That's right, billions of people, TuneIn from every corner
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  of the planet. Did you know that some players
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  travel thousands of miles just to play in these matches?
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  It's like flying from one side of the world to the other just
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  for a chance to score a goal. Did you know that the mascot for
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  the World Cup is always something fun and friendly?
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  In 2026, there will be a brand new mascot to cheer on the teams
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  and make fans smile. Did you know that in the World
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  Cup, sometimes teams tie their games and they have to decide
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  the winner with a penalty shootout?
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  It's one of the most nerve wracking and exciting parts of
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  the tournament. And did you know that the World
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  Cup helps inspire millions of kids like you to play soccer,
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  make friends and dream big? Let's do a quick recap of what
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  we learned today. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be
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  the biggest ever with 48 teams from all around the world. the
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  United States, Canada and Mexico are teaming up to host the event
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  with games and 16 amazing stadiums.
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  Teams will play in groups first, then move on to the knockout
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  stage all the way to the exciting final match.
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  There will be more matches, more fun and more chances to see new
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  teams and players. The World Cup is more than just
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  a tournament. It's a celebration of teamwork,
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  friendship and the joy of playing soccer.
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  So whether you're already a soccer fan or just learning
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  about the game, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is something to look
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  forward to. Maybe you'll watch the games
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  with your family, cheer for your favorite team, or even dream
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  about playing in the World Cup one day.
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  Thanks for joining us on Kit Cast Daily.
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  We're learning is always an adventure.
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  Until next time, keep asking questions, keep playing, and
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  keep dreaming. Big grab.
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  Your breakfast feelings fine.