England’s new order: How Italia ‘90 captured the hearts of a country in upheaval

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher’s England was a country under strain, marked by industrial decline, social unrest and sharp political divides. In that climate, English soccer became a national problem rather than a point of pride. Stadiums crumbled, hooliganism spread and tragedy struck at the Bradford, Heysel, and Hillsborough stadiums. The game felt like a relic: toxic, unsafe, unloved. Then, in the summer of 1990, something shifted. This episode traces how the 1990 World Cup helped detoxify English soccer and reframe national identity. We look at how an improbable World Cup run became a cultural moment that opened the door to Britpop on the radio, "Cool Britannia" in the headlines and the Premier League era that followed. This is the story of a sport crawling out of the wreckage and a country finding a new way to love its national team. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.