THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY
THE COUNTDOWN
Twenty-two World Cups have been played. The 23rd kicks off on 11 June 2026. EP01 is the series intro to The World Cup Universe, which tells the story of every past tournament, one episode at a time, on the road to 2026.
THE NAMES
Pelé, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi. The Hand of God, the Goal of the Century, the Maracanazo, Total Football, the Phantom Goal and the 7–1: some remembered, some forgotten, all of them moments that changed football.
2026
For the first time three countries host: the United States, Mexico and Canada. Sixteen cities, 48 teams (the most ever) and 104 matches. Argentina arrive as champions.
NEXT
The countdown starts with Uruguay 1930, the first World Cup, and a winning goal scored by a man with one hand.
MORE FROM THE WORLD CUP UNIVERSE
THE TERRACES — DISCUSSION
The argument also lives in the YouTube comments ↗.