The World Cup Story, Part 1: Soccer and Scandal

from The Journal. · host The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

As the World Cup begins this week, we bring you a two-part Sunday special charting how FIFA built the World Cup into a global phenomenon and how it became marred in scandal and corruption. In Part 1, WSJ soccer experts Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson go back to the World Cup’s origins — how it grew from a small tournament in Uruguay into a massive empire. And how an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice prompted a moment for reckoning for FIFA. Ryan Knutson hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 7, 2026

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The World Cup Story, Part 1: Soccer and Scandal

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