The Backseat Manager

The group stage is officially in the books, and before the knockout rounds get underway, it's time to pull up the receipts. We were convinced we knew how every group would unfold. Now we've got the results, so it's only fair we hold ourselves accountable.On this episode, we're looking back at our biggest hits, our worst misses, and whether our tournament predictions are still alive heading into the Round of 32.

In this episode, we take a look at the concluded 2nd round of group stage fixtures. The Cabo Verde dream continues, Messi is still scoring goals, and our dark horses of this tournament are finally revealing themselves! Anything can happen now, and as usual, we're here to give our not-so-expert opinion...

We're back to dissect all the action from Groups G–L. From the unbelievable scenes surrounding Cabo Verde's goalkeeper to England finally getting one over Croatia, there was no shortage of drama. With the tournament gathering momentum, we also discuss whether some of football's biggest legends are starting to realise their time at the top may be coming to an end. Plenty of stories, plenty of debate—let's get into it.

The World Cup is back, and so are the overreactions. On this episode, we dive into the opening matches from Groups A–F, discussing the teams that impressed, the teams that disappointed, and the players already stealing the spotlight. We examine the impact of FIFA’s latest rule changes, debate what we've learned from the first round of fixtures, and ask the question on everyone's mind: can the Curaçao Dream keep rolling? Join us as we break down all the biggest stories from the tournament's opening week.

On this week's show, to kick off a brand new podcast, with the World Cup 2026 kicking off just days away, we take a look at Thomas Tuchel's England squad selection and ask the age-old question that the British media are always pondering... "Can England actually win the World Cup?"