The Biggest World Cup Ever
Episode Description
ABOUT THE EPISODE What should fans expect from the largest FIFA World Cup in history? Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN Staff Writer, author of Net Gains, and Syracuse University instructor, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to analyze the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, assess the favorites and dark horses, evaluate the outlook for the U.S. Men’s National Team, and explain how analytics-driven innovations such as set pieces and long throw-ins are transforming soccer. The conversation also explores playoff unpredictability, tournament design, and the growing influence of analytics across sports.
ABOUT THE PODCAST Sports is a game of numbers. Wharton experts Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, Cade Massey, and Adi Wyner team up to tackle the world of sports, from current events to longstanding issues such as: What sports streaks are the most impressive? How do you rank the best players? Can athletes be compared across sports? Moneyball Highlights explains how decision-makers in the game can avoid the common mistakes and embrace the data. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School.
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Brief Summary
Ryan O'Hanlon discusses World Cup predictions, U.S. team prospects, and the importance of set pieces in soccer analytics.
Key points
- Ryan O'Hanlon Returns. Ryan O'Hanlon, a staff writer at ESPN, joins the show to discuss soccer analytics and the upcoming World Cup.
- Soccer Coverage Expansion. The hosts acknowledge the need to increase their soccer coverage ahead of the World Cup.
- World Cup Predictions. Ryan shares his insights on the World Cup, including team rankings and potential surprises.
- Portugal's Underperformance Prediction. The speaker predicts Portugal may underperform in the World Cup due to structural disadvantages.
- U.S. National Team's Group Dynamics. The U.S. faces a tricky group in the World Cup with no powerhouse teams.
- Set Piece Revolution in Soccer. The Premier League has seen a scoring surge from set pieces, impacting the World Cup.
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Episode highlights
- Ryan O'Hanlon ReturnsRyan O'Hanlon, a staff writer at ESPN, joins the show to discuss soccer analytics and the upcoming World Cup.“We love Ryan O'Hanlon and we think you guys should love Ryan O'Hanlon.”1:03Jun 10, 2026
- Soccer Coverage ExpansionThe hosts acknowledge the need to increase their soccer coverage ahead of the World Cup.“We're going to fix that.”2:21Jun 10, 2026
- World Cup PredictionsRyan shares his insights on the World Cup, including team rankings and potential surprises.“I feel like you're asking the wrong person because I've ranked all the teams in the World Cup.”4:58Jun 10, 2026
- Portugal's Underperformance PredictionThe speaker predicts Portugal may underperform in the World Cup due to structural disadvantages.“I think Portugal is probably the one that I would pick to underperform.”20:24Jun 10, 2026
- U.S. National Team's Group DynamicsThe U.S. faces a tricky group in the World Cup with no powerhouse teams.“The group is a little tricky and then the draw just looks like it isn't gonna be great for them.”23:43Jun 10, 2026
- Set Piece Revolution in SoccerThe Premier League has seen a scoring surge from set pieces, impacting the World Cup.“I think there's a good chance that it's an even bigger difference this summer.”35:42Jun 10, 2026
- Exciting Prospects in College SportsThe evolution of college sports allows fans to watch future NFL stars in action.“Those quarterbacks are going to be next year's quarterbacks in the NFL.”54:36Jun 10, 2026
- Tournament Design DifferencesA discussion on the subtle differences in tournament design between men's and women's college sports.“That's pretty subtle tournament design and an interesting difference between the men's and the women's game.”1:00:42Jun 10, 2026
