Shows / The Soccernomics Podcast
The Soccernomics Podcast
Understand soccer better through the lens of Soccernomics. It's a New York Times Bestseller, but it's also a way of looking at the game that uncovers its hidden truths. Featuring Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski and Ashish Malhotra.
Episodes
- The Soccernomics Podcast
Why Football's Transfer System Is A Form of Human Trafficking [Rerun]
Ashish is under the weather so we weren't able to record a new episode this week. But here's a repeat episode - where Stefan makes his case for why football's…
- The Soccernomics Podcast
Salary Caps v Financial Fair Play: How Financial Restrictions in European Football Compare to US Sports
The ongoing Manchester City saga means financial regulations in sports leagues continue to be a hot topic. Some have suggested that what European football…
The Soccernomics PodcastWe Won a Bronze at The Signal Awards: But We Still Need Your Help!
There was some big news for The Soccernomics Podcast earlier this week: we won a Bronze at the Signal Awards in the sports genre! No show can win an award…
The Soccernomics PodcastToo Big To Fail: Well, They Might - But Here's Why Football Clubs Rarely Die
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…
The Soccernomics PodcastJoin The Soccernomics Podcast FC: Help Us Keep Going
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…
The Soccernomics PodcastSimon Kuper weighs in on Manchester City and Infantino's Future at FIFA
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…
The Soccernomics PodcastThe Gloves Are Off: Manchester City Debate, Round Two — Szymanski v Malhotra (and the Listeners)
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…
The Soccernomics PodcastUnderstanding Stefan's Views on Financial Regulations in Football [Rerun]
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…
The Soccernomics PodcastManchester City Found Guilty: But Stefan Thinks the Outrage is Overblown
By now you've probably already heard the news. After years of investigation, Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 100 + charges they've…
The Soccernomics PodcastWe're Finalists at The Signal Awards!
A quick check-in to explain why we didn't do an episode today, and to announce that we are finalists at the Signal Awards. It's one of the biggest awards…
The Soccernomics PodcastHas VAR made refereeing decisions more accurate?
VAR always produces a spirited debate, and today's episode is no different. Though Stefan has data that proves that VAR is highly effective, Ashish pushes back…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhat Are The Best Leagues in the World?
The English Premier League is widely considered to be the best soccer league in the world, but how can we rank the rest of them? Opta, the British sports…
The Soccernomics PodcastHow Much Do Managers Really Matter? [Rerun]
Following on from our latest episode on why managers get fired so often, today we're republishing our episode on how much they really matter in the first…
The Soccernomics Podcast"You're Getting Sacked in the Morning": Why Managers Get Fired So Much
Football managers are constantly on the hot seat. Just a few weeks into the season, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fiorentina and Valencia have already sacked their…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy Don’t American Sports Have Promotion and Relegation?
At long last, we delve into the promotion/relegation in the context of Major League Soccer, but also American sports in general. Stefan explains the closed…
The Soccernomics PodcastCan MLS Actually Become a Major League?
As an extension from our Thursday episode, we discuss the MLS experiment and where it is today. How did it survive after its lowest ebbs in the late 90s and…
The Soccernomics PodcastBefore MLS: The Wild History of American Soccer
From the Boston Beaneaters of the ALFP, to the New York Cosmos of the NASL, we dig into the long history of professional soccer in the US, dating back to the…
The Soccernomics PodcastIf It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Stefan on Football’s Financial Rules
After a walking vacation in Ireland, Stefan has had a lot of time to think about football's financial regulations - and he's got a lot to say. Well let's be…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy Does Messi Keep Missing Penalties? [Rerun]
As Stefan recently pointed out, Lionel Messi has missed three penalties in a row. That, along with Ashish's never ending debate with his friend Rishi over…
The Soccernomics PodcastThe Soccernomics Podcast x NO SUCH THING
After Stefan recently fired back at people who didn't like his analysis about the origins of the word 'soccer', we thought we'd play you the entire…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy Are Sports Teams Suddenly Worth So Much Money?
From Liverpool to the Lakers: its been a big week in the world of sports team ownership. Mark Walter's sale of his controlling stake of the Lakers, just 14…
The Soccernomics PodcastMailbag Part II: Soccer vs Football, Colonialism & Pay to Play
Stefan fights off the haters when it comes to his position on Soccer v Football. Seriously, if you haven't read his book, "It's Football, Not Soccer (And Vice…
The Soccernomics PodcastMailbag: Penalties, the European Super League & Match Momentum Graphs
In our first listener questions episode, we get into a variety of topics - from penalties, to the European Super League and those weird "Match Momentum" graphs…
The Soccernomics PodcastKieran Maguire on Infantino, FIFA and Ebbsfleet United
A momentous day for The Soccernomics Podcast: Our first guest. Kieran Maguire, one of the world's leading football finance experts, and the author of "The…
The Soccernomics PodcastWill Gianni Infantino Resign?
Since we last recorded, the pressure has been mounting on Gianni Infantino. Though he retreated from his botched World Cup sell-off plan, many want more - his…
The Soccernomics PodcastAmid FIFA Sell-Off Fiasco, A Reminder That World Cups Save Lives [Rerun]
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. Though we promise, this is ultimately an uplifting and hopeful story. As the fallout from Gianni…
The Soccernomics PodcastWill Infantino's World Cup Plan Tear FIFA and UEFA Apart?
In a shock move on Tuesday, FIFA announced plans to create FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), a new subsidiary which would sell all of FIFA’s commercial rights…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy Does Western Europe Dominate Global Football? [Rerun]
We're taking a little breather this week, catching our breath from the World Cup. But we'll be back with new episodes very soon. Until then, we thought we'd…
The Soccernomics PodcastWho's to Blame for England's Collapse?
We had to talk about that England collapse, and the fallout that's followed. Thomas Tuchel has received most of the blame. But is that fair? Was it more on the…
The Soccernomics PodcastWorld Cup Recap: Spain Reigns Supreme
After a 1-0 win over Argentina, Spain added to their Women's World Cup title in 2023, and now hold the Men's title as well. What is it about Spanish football…
The Soccernomics PodcastLive Show at House of GOAL Ahead of England-Argentina
Our first live show at the House of GOAL Festival in Industry City, New York. We previewed the England-Argentina match, which took place right after we got off…
The Soccernomics PodcastBellingham and Kane: England's Most Influential World Cup Duo?
Simon Kuper rejoins the pod amid his World Cup travels to share his takeaways from the tournament so far. The gang discuss the impact of Jude Bellingham and…
The Soccernomics PodcastWas Egypt Robbed by VAR? And What's Wrong With US Men's Soccer?
We discuss the most controversial match of the tournament so far - Egypt v Argentina. Is there a bias towards Argentina? We also discuss the fallout from the…
The Soccernomics PodcastEngland-Mexico Recap + Trump's Balogun Call
Does it get much better than that England-Mexico match? Somehow the most hyped match of the tournament exceeded expectations. Stefan and Ashish break it down…
The Soccernomics PodcastHarry Kane Saves England. But Can They Handle the Azteca?
Moments after the final whistle, we break down the classic England-Democratic Republic of Congo R32 match, and look ahead to England's blockbuster meeting with…
The Soccernomics PodcastBrazil Survives, Africa Shines, Iran Suffers Injustice
After an eventful Brazil-Japan match, Stefan and Ashish talk about the success of African teams at this World Cup so far, and the unfair treatment the Iranian…
The Soccernomics PodcastHow Much Do Managers Really Matter?
After Ashish makes Stefan listen to his experience watching Ghana hold England to a draw, they talk about how much managers really matter, with particular…
The Soccernomics PodcastHow Far Can Cape Verde Go?
After Stefan takes us back to the 1974 Poland-West Germany World Cup match, we talk about the fairytale story of Cape Verde so far, and discuss how far they…
The Soccernomics PodcastDual National Players: A Win for Africa, Europe, or Both?
We discuss the latest games, the geopolitics around the Iraqi and Iranian teams, and the debate over who is gaining most from dual national players. Hosted by…
The Soccernomics PodcastThe Socceroos and USMNT: Can Diverse National Teams Drive Social Change?
In our first episode since the World Cup we discuss some of the surprise results so far, and highlight the great start for the Socceroos and their young star…
The Soccernomics PodcastWorld Cup Predictions: On the Pitch and Off
The World Cup is here, and we're here to preview it all. Stefan has done a mind-boggling 20,000 simulations of the tournament, and yet somehow there is still…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy Does Little Western Europe Rule International Soccer?
When Simon and Stefan first wrote Soccernomics, they predicted that the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey and Iraq were destiened to become the kings of the sport…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 2)
Part two of our discussion from Tuesday, we discuss antitrust, player unions the differences between player unions in Europe and the US, and compare the…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy the Transfer Market is a Form of Human Trafficking (Part 1)
Today we're talking football's transfer market - a topic Stefan is so passionate about, we've had to split it into two parts. In this one, he makes the case…
The Soccernomics PodcastGame Theory: The Hidden Science Behind Penalty Shootouts
Every World Cup has at least one memorable penalty shootout. And this weekend's Champions League Final in Budapest between PSG and Arsenal might as well. Is…
The Soccernomics PodcastDo World Cups Save Lives?
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide. It's an eternal story told about soccer - that when Brazil gets knocked out of World Cups…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhy England Never Win - But Might Be Getting Closer
We all know the story. Incredible hype around England at a World Cup or European Championship, and then inevitable letdown. 60 years of hurt. But since 2018…
The Soccernomics PodcastWhat is Soccernomics?
What is Soccernomics? In our first episode we discuss how Simon and Stefan first met, the debate over Football v Soccer, and how fans have the power to take…
The Soccernomics PodcastIntroducing: The Soccernomics Podcast
Get ready for the World Cup through the lens of Soccernomics. It's a New York Times Bestseller, but it's also a way of looking at the game that uncovers its…