Make Football Great Again

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Make Football Great Again is the definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup, combining deep-dive interviews from across the globe with legendary tournament anecdotes from our veteran reporters. We're bringing you expert insight, authentic flavour and just the right amount of chaos as we count down to the biggest party in football history. Come and join the journey. Let's Make Football Great Again!

  1. 2d ago

    Slaying Giants & The "Scandal of Gijón": Austria's 2026 World Cup Profile 🇦🇹🔥

    Can Ralf Rangnick’s tactical rebuild carry Austria past Argentina and the heavyweights of Group J? 🇦🇹⚽ In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent is joined by the host of The Other Bundesliga podcast, Tom Midler, to trace the definitive tournament preview for Austria. We discard routine statistical analysis to unlock incredible pieces of administrative hubris, political friction, and the historical coffee house culture that invented modern tactical movements. 🔥 In this episode, we unpack: The Euro 2008 Petition: The bizarre, true story of tens of thousands of Austrian fans who formally begged their own team to withdraw from the tournament to prevent a national crisis. The Invention of Total Football: Why the intellectual coffee house circles of Vienna’s Ringstrasse deserve historical credit for inventing tactical fluid movement long before the Netherlands. The Miracle of Córdoba: Tracing the legendary 1978 win over West Germany that sparked the most unhinged, emotional commentary in sports broadcasting history. The Rangnick Friction: The ongoing strategic war between a demanding German manager and an old-school Football Association resistant to structural evolution. The Roster Pipeline Changes: Sizing up Carney Chukwuemeka’s choice to acquire an Austrian passport right before a massive international flight. The Scandal of Gijón: The long-standing, bitter historical rivalry between Austria and Algeria rooted in an explicit 1982 non-aggression pact. 🔗 Follow Tom Midler and The Other Bundesliga Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@OtherBundesliga - https://x.com/mid_5 - https://x.com/OtherBundesliga #WorldCup2026 #AustriaFootball #RalfRangnick #DavidAlaba #CarneyChukwuemeka #HarryKane #LamineYamal #SoccerPodcast #RoadTo2026 ⏳ The Timecodes 0:00 – Teaser: Emotional commentators hugging on air & the ultimate fan petition 0:17 – Welcome to Make Football Great Again! 0:44 – Meet Tom Midler: Celebrating Austria's long-awaited return to the world stage 1:12 – Segment: One Truth and One Lie (Alpine yodels vs. the formal withdrawal petition) 2:07 – The Psychosocial Malaise: Exploring the fallout of Euro 2008 3:03 – Historical Context: Sizing up the modern Group J matrix 3:30 – Segment: The Travel Log – Who is Austria’s true footballing GOAT? 3:58 – The Paper Man: Tracing the tragic, mysterious legacy of Matthias Sindelar 4:59 – Slaying Champions: Explaining the lingering passion behind Córdoba 1978 6:11 – Banter Rivalry: Why Austrian fans closely look at German and Swiss football 7:43 – Intellectual Pioneers: The tactical architecture born on the Vienna Ringstrasse 9:09 – Striking the Maverick Balance: Marco Arnautović vs. Bureaucratic Elegance 10:37 – Domestic Boundaries: Why Christian Fuchs' Premier League medal feels distant 12:32 – The Shadow of Germany: Why structural change faces stiff local blockades 14:53 – Segment: The Scouting Report – Roster standouts & Ultimate Team additions 15:51 – Rising From the Ashes: Sasa Kalajdzic's emotional Bundesliga double campaign 17:39 – Meet the System Talisman: David Alaba's core center-back transition 19:06 – Under the Radar picks: Sasa Kalajdzic and Michael Gregoritsch 20:33 – Rebuilding the "Gegenpress": Rangnick's tactical war against the local FA chiefs 22:35 – Expanding the Pipeline: Parachuting Carney Chukwuemeka into the roster 26:11 – Group J Analysis: Facing Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan 28:09 – The Scandal of Gijón: Inside the non-aggression pact of 1982 29:34 – Swashbuckling Forwards: Sizing up massive recent results under Rangnick 31:18 – The England Swap: Giving Harry Kane to a forward line crying for goals 32:36 – Rapid Fire Round: 2026 World Cup Winners & Top Scorers 33:58 – Outrageous Hot Take: Inflationary metrics ruin the modern World Cup viewing framework 34:54 – Outro & Next Nation Preview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    30 min
  2. 2d ago

    🇩🇿 🇹🇳 Algeria & Tunisia: MASTERS of defence 🚨 20 Years on Interpol’s Most Wanted List! 2026 World Cup Preview

    Can the defensive masterminds of North Africa survive the most chaotic groups at the 2026 World Cup? 🇩🇿🇹🇳 In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent sits down with African football journalist Ali Hawa to map out the definitive tactical and cultural profiles for Algeria and Tunisia. We discard standard group previews to unpack unbelievable tales of historical arrogance, legal exile, and the modern systemic frameworks defining Maghreb football. 🔥 In this episode, we unpack: The German Hubris: The unedited story behind West Germany's disrespectful promise before falling victim to Algeria's legendary 1982 upset. The No-Look Fugitive: The fascinating, under-reported truth about how an Algerian football icon spent twenty years running from international extradition laws. The Talent Plunder: Explaining the complex socio-political reality behind why the absolute elite of French football hold Algerian heritage. The Star Boy's Burden: Sizing up Michael Olise's growth at Bayern Munich and why he tracking as a tournament game-changer. The "Haram Ball" Mechanics: A granular look at Tunisia's defensive discipline, set-piece traps, and structural identity. The Hannibal Manifesto: How Burnley's young midfielder went viral in Tunis by publicly demanding a root-and-branch formatting of the national setup. 🔗 Follow Ali Howorth For Elite African Football Coverage: https://alasdairhoworth.substack.com/ Check out Ali's insights on Twitter/X: https://x.com/ahoworth97 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    33 min
  3. 2d ago

    🇫🇷 France: MASTERMINDS of football 🥖🐔 The Craziest World Cup Story! 🏆 2026 World Cup Preview

    Can the relentless winning machine of French football break the tournament blockades and claim a third star in North America? 🇫🇷⭐️ In this episode of Make Football Great Again, host Harry Brent sits down with ESPN writer and French football expert Julien Laurens to map out the definitive tournament preview for France. We discard routine statistical sheets to explore jaw-dropping tales of international fan folklore, inner-locker room fractures, and the revolutionary academy systems shaping modern tactical profiles. 🔥 In this episode, we unpack: The Baguette Smuggling: The unbelievable true story of how a legendary French super-fan attempted to bypass international livestock laws inside a hallowed loaf of bread. The CONCACAF Hotbed: Exploring the ruthless street football culture of Paris and why French academies continuously produce the most polished wonderkids in world football. The Unbeatable Engine: Why a hypothetical double pivot of Claude Makélélé and N’Golo Kanté would force an absolute international forfeit. The Tactical Mutation: How manager Didier Deschamps plans to trade his trademark defensive conservatism for a devastating 4-2-3-1 setup. The Unpopular Prediction: A bold defense of Thomas Tuchel’s appointment and why a France vs. England final feels mathematically inevitable. 🔗 Grab Julien Laurens' New Book ("Kylian Mbappé: The Definitive Biography"): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kylian-Mbappe-Definitive-Biography-World/dp/1399629565 🔔 Subscribe to Make Football Great Again so you never miss a stop on our global roadmap down to the opening match of 2026! #WorldCup2026 #FranceFootball #KylianMbappe #ZinedineZidane #ThomasTuchel #HarryKane #SoccerPodcast #RoadTo2026 ⏳ The Timecodes 0:00 – Teaser: An unbeatable midfield engine & an unpopular England prediction 0:21 – Welcome to Make Football Great Again! 0:50 – Meet Julien Laurens: Discussing the biography of Kylian Mbappé 1:11 – Segment: One Truth and One Lie (Michel Platini at the Louvre vs. the smuggled rooster) 2:22 – Balthazar the Rooster: Exploring the scale of Clément d'Antib's 1500-match legacy 3:33 – Historical Context: Traumatic penalty shootouts in Qatar and half a century of waiting 4:27 – Segment: The Travel Log – Who is France’s definitive footballing GOAT? 5:48 – Erasing the 50s: Why Zinedine Zidane edges Michel Platini on technical elegance 6:18 – Inheriting the Throne: Can Mbappé surpass Zidane's historical estimations? 7:43 – Border Rivalries: Why French fans closely watch Belgian and Swiss football 8:41 – The "Bad Boy" Gene: Redefining the passion of Nicolas Anelka and Eric Cantona 10:40 – The English Legend: Why Thierry Henry face structural imagery limits back home 13:30 – Incompetence at the Top: Dissecting the catastrophic locker room fallout of 2010 15:56 – Rebuilding the Midfield: Tracing the historical lineage of the French No. 6 18:21 – Hotbeds of Football: How local academy systems handle impatient wonderkids 21:10 – Segment: The Scouting Report – Front four variations and roster setups 22:33 – Striking the Roster Balance: Adapting after Hugo Ekitiké's injury blow 24:30 – The Ego War Illusion: Why Mbappé's modern captaincy protects the inner circle 26:53 – Defending like 25: N'Golo Kanté's unyielding positional utility 28:49 – The Defensive General: Sizing up the modern strategic legacy of Didier Deschamps 32:01 – Winning is the Minimum: Exchanging conservative frameworks for tournament dominance 33:26 – The England Swap: Inserting Harry Kane into a front-four cheat code 34:49 – Rapid Fire Round: Best No. 6 & Historical Ligue 1 Icons 39:03 – Tracing Foundations: Nicolas Anelka vs. David Trezeguet 42:25 – Outrageous Hot Take: Thomas Tuchel carries England to a final crunch 43:21 – Outro & Next Episode Permutations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    31 min

Ratings & Reviews

3
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Make Football Great Again is the definitive 48-nation roadmap to the 2026 World Cup, combining deep-dive interviews from across the globe with legendary tournament anecdotes from our veteran reporters. We're bringing you expert insight, authentic flavour and just the right amount of chaos as we count down to the biggest party in football history. Come and join the journey. Let's Make Football Great Again!

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