Is This the Best World Cup Ever?

Is the 2026 FIFA World Cup already one of the best tournaments ever?From Cabo Verde’s incredible Cinderella story to Norway shocking Brazil, this World Cup has already delivered drama, upsets, global stars, late winners, penalty shootouts and some of the best fan moments in recent memory.But off the pitch, the tournament has been just as intense.In this episode of Finance of Football, Michael and Asli break down the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2026 World Cup so far, including the expanded 48 team format, the rise of African football, expensive tickets, FIFA’s controversial hydration breaks, extra advertising inventory and the uncomfortable truth about modern football.Fans may hate the prices.They may hate the commercial breaks.They may hate how much FIFA is squeezing the tournament.But they are still watching, still paying and still showing up.So is this the best World Cup ever?Or just the most commercial World Cup ever?Listen now to Finance of Football.For more, follow Asli and Michael on InstagramAsli - @brefootcontessaMichael - @michale.loreAnd follow the show…On Instagram - @financeoffootballpodOn Facebook - /financeoffootball---Finance of Football - Nations and Numbers, a Frequency Machine Podcast, is…Written, Hosted, and Produced by Asli Pelit and Michael LoRéEditing and Sound Design by Ryan HammondMixing and Mastering by Julian KwasneskiExecutive Produced by Ryan Hammond,  Stacey Book and Avi Glijansky---Check out more of Frequency Machine’s podcasts - including Undercover Sports, a show about the wildest sports conspiracy theories, at frequencymachine.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.