America 2026: A World Cup podcast
A podcast from The Irish Times covering the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Former Irish international Kevin Kilbane and journalist Paul Howard host the show, providing match analysis, big stories, and special guests.
Episodes
World Cup Eve - Keith Duggan in LA, off-pitch chaos and the hosts under a microscope
Not even a bowl of Mauricio Pochettino's lemons could soak up the negativity hanging over the host nation of World Cup 2026. From reports of FIFA referees being turned around at the border to the Iranian national team being permitted nothing more than day trips into the country, it's the events off the pitch that have been dominating global headlines.Irish Times Washington Correspondent Keith Dugg
Comfortable co-hosts? The weight of history and how Mexico & Canada are shaping up for the tournament
Maybe the worst thing about the Republic of Ireland losing their World Cup place to Czechia is missing out on the chance to play tournament co-hosts Mexico in their home stadium - the Estadio Azteca - almost 40 years to the day since Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' moment cemented its status as one of the truly iconic stadiums in world football.Paul, Kevin and Malachy discuss the state of play for
World Cup preview: Paul Howard, Kevin Kilbane and Malachy Clerkin pick potential winners and top players
With World Cup 2026 one week away, Paul Howard, Kevin Kilbane and Malachy Clerkin kick off our podcast coverage of the tournament.The Irish Times will publish episodes of America 2026 several times per week between now and the final on July 19th. Listen for analysis of all the football, digressions into World Cup history and coverage of the big stories happening inside and outside the stadiums.On
' These guys are going to the World Cup and we're probably better than them'
Malachy Clerkin, Kevin Kilbane and Gavin Cummiskey are here to talk about the final round of games World Cup qualification matches. In part one we look at last night in the Aviva and Ireland's campaign as a whole. are we in a better place now? And what is Seamus Coleman's future in the Ireland setup?In part two we look at the playoff deciders, where there were plenty of surprising results includin
'It's really hard to take': Ireland's penalty heartbreak after early dominance
Ireland’s World Cup dream ended in heartbreaking fashion, giving up a 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic to ultimately lose on penalties. Paul Howard and Kevin Kilbane talk about the disappointment of failing to progress after a dominant first half performance, the penalty that gave the Czech Republic belief and how the rest of the match unfolded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i
Heartbreak and glory: Ireland's history of World Cup playoffs
Relive the glory and the heartbreak of Ireland's previous attempts to reach a major tournament with someone who was there to experience the joy, fight some losing battles and witness that handball. Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard look back at playoff games past: Belgium, World Cup 1998Turkey, Euro 2000Iran, World Cup 2002France, World Cup 2010 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat
How Troy Parrott factor will influence Ireland v Czech Republic
Paul Howard and Kevin Kilbane preview Ireland v Czech Republic:Ireland’s squadHandling the pressure of a playoff How Ireland won back to back games against Portugal and Hungary Match fitness and the impact of players not getting regular football The Troy Parrott factor The Czech team Should we practice penalties? Kelleher’s penalty-saving prowess Hosted on Acast. See
America 2026: Listen to Kevin Kilbane and Paul Howard's World Cup podcast
Former Ireland international Kevin Kilbane and journalist Paul Howard are making America 2026, a new podcast about the World Cup from The Irish Times. America 2026 starts next week for Ireland's playoff game against Czech Republic. Follow now on your podcast app, and look out for us on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
America 2026
This is a new podcast from The Irish Times covering the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States. Join former Irish international Kevin Kilbane and journalist and author Paul Howard for Ireland's playoff games in March and the tournament in June.America 2026 drops just in time for Ireland’s first (hopefully not last) playoff game against Czechia. To listen to the podcast, follow Amer
