WORLD CUP Bonus Episode: Week Two

Trevor and Joe tackle Week Two of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In this episode they debate whether the tournament is an incredible global block party or a giant exercise in geopolitical sports washing, whether the David vs. Goliath fable needs some adjustment, and dish on the week's most entertaining World Cup drama, from Turkey's tragic scoreless exit to the fanboys currently making life difficult for Portugal's players. Through it all, they remind us that few things bring people together quite like 22 humans chasing a ball.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Trevor Noah?

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• 0:17Trevor Noah?

  This is What Now with Trevor Noah.

• 0:21Trevor Noah?

  All right, well, welcome to Week Two of the World Cup.

• 0:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, I can't believe because it feels like one. We've watched so much football. It feels like a week four, but then again, time rushes when you're having fun. So it doesn't feel like Week Two yet. It's like a week, I know it sounds like a weird contradiction, but it feels like we've watched four weeks' worth of football, but then it doesn't feel like we've reached Week Two yet.

• 0:47Trevor Noah?

  I think it feels like that because, yes, we've watched probably more games per capita than ever in our lives. But because we haven't moved in the group stages,

• 0:58Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 0:58Trevor Noah?

  it doesn't feel like the tournament has moved, in a good way.

• 1:01Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 1:01Trevor Noah?

  So it feels like it's still exciting. It feels like it's still new. It feels like it's, but, but you know, before we even get into the results, I noticed something about the World Cup. And I don't know if you'll agree with this or disagree.

• 1:13Speaker 01

  Okay, probably disagree, but on principle, but okay.

• 1:16Trevor Noah?

  The World Cup is a lot like New Year's Eve.

• 1:21Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:21Trevor Noah?

  Everyone talks trash about it in the buildup. Everyone says they don't care. Everyone says they don't, they're not going to make plans. They're not going to participate. Ask somebody what their plans are for New Year's Eve. They'll be like, ah, is that even a thing anymore? New Year's Eve, I'll probably just sleep. I don't even care what's happening. I'm not into it. The day the clock strikes 12 and it's the 31st now. Then you start getting the texts. Hey, what's happening? Have you heard of anything? Are you going anywhere?

• 1:49Speaker 01

  Where's the party at?

• 1:50Trevor Noah?

  Maybe we should go to a party. And then when it gets close to 12, it's on and once it's on.

• 1:58Trevor Noah?

  All you're left with is joy and regret. I feel like the World Cup is that. No, because I was thinking about this. Every single World Cup starts with the scandal.

• 2:10Speaker 01

  Mm hmm. Oh, multiple scandals.

• 2:12Trevor Noah?

  And by week two, people can only talk about the World Cup. So go South Africa, twenty ten. Everybody was saying, can this country host a World Cup? Is Africa ready? There's too much crime in South Africa. They don't have the infrastructure. It's going to be a bad World Cup. It's not gonna go. World Cup started, week two.

• 2:31Speaker 01

  Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.

• 2:32Trevor Noah?

  All we knew was football.

• 2:33Speaker 01

  Actually, the moment Shabba Lala scored that goal.

• 2:36Trevor Noah?

  Finished.

• 2:37Speaker 01

  Everything shifted, yes.

• 2:39Trevor Noah?

  Qatar.

• 2:40Speaker 01

  Oh, before that, Russia.

• 2:41Trevor Noah?

  Oh, yeah, Russia. Russia was before that. People were like, oh, no.

• 2:45Speaker 01

  Twenty fourteen years.

• 2:46Trevor Noah?

  Brazil, they were like, oh, no, the infrastructure, things are not gonna work.

• 2:50Speaker 01

  The favelas and these.

• 2:51Trevor Noah?

  You name it. Russia, people like, oh, the visas are gonna be a disaster. Russia's not gonna let people in.

• 2:57Speaker 01

  Russia even.

• 2:57Trevor Noah?

  Should Russia even be hosting a, yo, World Cup came?

• 3:02Trevor Noah?

  People were just like, it's World Cup time. We'll, we'll, we'll, we'll get back to that later.

• 3:05Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 3:06Trevor Noah?

  Qatar was the same. U S, week two. I don't know about you, maybe it's just my feed. Everything is World Cup now.

• 3:15Speaker 01

  No, I'll say this, and that's, I think, the beauty, and also the curse, in a funny way, of the World Cup, because that's what gives FIFA so much power and so much leverage. They are in control, or they're the custodians of this thing that's so powerful.

• 3:30Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 3:30Speaker 01

  That can shift narratives. So the World Cup, when you talk about Qatar, like, before it happened, some people were gonna, were even gonna boycott it.

• 3:40Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, I mean, the English media, English media was essentially threatening to boycott Qatar.

• 3:44Speaker 01

  But then the moment, the moment the ball is kicked.

• 3:48Trevor Noah?

  You, you know what it is? Actually, before the ball is kicked, once people see David Beckham.

• 3:52Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 3:52Trevor Noah?

  They change, they change all their geopolitical views.

• 3:55Speaker 01

  Yes, but it's, it's funny that you.

• 3:56Trevor Noah?

  In fact, I think it's like any party. You can say what you want about a party. If David Beckham walks in.

• 4:01Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, you know, let's turn up.

• 4:03Trevor Noah?

  The party's changed.

• 4:03Speaker 01

  Let's turn up, yes. No, but like, it's, uh, I, as, as I was saying, it's the great power of this beautiful game. And FIFA, fun enough, has done so much to disfigure the face

• 4:17Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 4:17Speaker 01

  of the beautiful game, but because the game is so popular, and once it starts. Everything is out of the window. So the US, people are going about, you know, what? E- everything that's wrong with the US.

• 4:28Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 4:29Speaker 01

  Then the moment the game started, now everyone's just talking about the games. People are discovering different sides of America, cause they're going to, they're getting to meet real Americans as opposed to Americans being represented by their government.

• 4:41Trevor Noah?

  Can I, can I say, that's something that has truly made me realize how powerful the World Cup is.

• 4:50Trevor Noah?

  I've always known that the World Cup has the power to introduce, you know, people from all over the world to a nation that they may have had a one-sided opinion of, or like a one-dimensional opinion of, rather. I didn't think the same would hold true for America.

• 5:07Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 5:08Trevor Noah?

  And yet, if you've been online, the fan experiences of the World Cup, and the fan experiences of America, funny enough. Uh, there's the German guy, Freddie, I think his name is.

• 5:21Speaker 01

  Oh, who's going out, yes.

• 5:22Trevor Noah?

  He's become like the most adored fan in America now. Freddie, um, is a German guy who's just in America, who's just having a great time, just loving everything about America. Meeting people, shocked at how friendly they are, discovering how big the portions are, enjoying like, like.

• 5:40Speaker 01

  All the things we love about America, yes.

• 5:41Trevor Noah?

  Giant trucks, giant cars, giant worlds, giant supermarkets. He's gotten so popular, I think he got an invite to the White House. They, um, he was on a flight that was delayed and he was gonna miss a game. And then airlines just stepped in and they were like, no Freddie, we got you, we're gonna get you on another flight, we're gonna. That's when I was like, okay, this is power. When, when an airline in America is actually trying to help people.

• 6:04Speaker 01

  To help a customer, yes. No, but also I agree with you because America, unlike other countries, has been overexposed. We watch it in pop culture, we watch it in movies, we watch it in music videos.

• 6:15Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 6:16Speaker 01

  So you would think there would be nothing to discover. Qatar, you've never had anything about it, so when the World Cup goes there, there's a chance to discover a side of Qatar that you haven't seen before. But America.

• 6:26Trevor Noah?

  I didn't think that for America, yeah.

• 6:27Speaker 01

  Familiar with America.

• 6:28Trevor Noah?

  I honestly didn't think that for America.

• 6:30Speaker 01

  Yes. Like the people in Roland's cancers.

• 6:33Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 6:34Speaker 01

  They are like. Funny weird meet cute.

• 6:37Trevor Noah?

  Yep.

• 6:37Speaker 01

  With Algeria.

• 6:39Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 6:39Speaker 01

  And then this romance that has gone on and on and on and on.

• 6:43Trevor Noah?

  Scottish fans have drunk Boston Dry.

• 6:45Speaker 01

  Oh, my god, yes. You never thought that would happen. You never thought.

• 6:48Trevor Noah?

  I didn't think it was possible.

• 6:50Speaker 01

  Boston would go like, there's not enough alcohol.

• 6:52Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 6:53Speaker 01

  In Boston.

• 6:53Trevor Noah?

  I genuinely didn't think it was possible.

• 6:55Speaker 01

  The bars, no, but I think also like if you combine Scottish people with Irish people. Cause the Irish people in Boston.

• 7:02Trevor Noah?

  You're not wrong, actually.

• 7:03Speaker 01

  Dry. And then they're going, no, it's, it's been beautiful. It's, um, it's why normally they go like, oh, you can't use the World Cup to sports wash or sports launder your image. And that's why I think.

• 7:16Trevor Noah?

  But, okay, but this is, okay, let's, let's, so let's get into this.

• 7:20Trevor Noah?

  Is it sports washing?

• 7:21Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 7:22Trevor Noah?

  Or, or rather, let's, let's, let's ask the question this way, cause people will say the World Cup is sports washing.

• 7:27Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 7:27Trevor Noah?

  You use a major world tournament.

• 7:30Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 7:30Trevor Noah?

  To.

• 7:31Speaker 01

  Show a side of you, yes.

• 7:32Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, to, to, to lighten or brighten the image of your country in the world, despite what's going on.

• 7:37Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 7:38Trevor Noah?

  But then there's a part of me that goes, i- is it sports washing or is it, is it maybe doing, not the opposite necessarily? But like, those Americans who are experiencing, or rather, those Europeans and those Africans and those, you know, South Americans and the. Very few Africans, you're not wrong, you're not wrong, actually. Yeah, way more Europeans.

• 7:58Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 7:58Trevor Noah?

  But they are experiencing America in a way that they wouldn't have otherwise. And I think America's also experiencing them in a way that they wouldn't have otherwise. Like, the effect that the Norwegian fans have had on Americans. For the first time in my life, I've seen Team USA people trying to come up with actual chants for their team.

• 8:15Speaker 01

  Yes, apart from, we, we shall win.

• 8:18Trevor Noah?

  I believe that we shall win.

• 8:21Speaker 01

  They see the choreography.

• 8:21Trevor Noah?

  Believe that, that is terrible.

• 8:23Speaker 01

  Yes, they see the choreography.

• 8:24Trevor Noah?

  That's objectively terrible. Or just USA.

• 8:27Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 8:27Trevor Noah?

  USA. That's fine for like three minutes?

• 8:30Speaker 01

  Yes, you can't chant it for an entire game.

• 8:32Trevor Noah?

  Ninety minutes.

• 8:33Speaker 01

  Defense.

• 8:34Trevor Noah?

  Come on, man, come on.

• 8:35Speaker 01

  You need a few.

• 8:36Trevor Noah?

  Come on, come on, come on. I still say, if you have to tell the team what their job is.

• 8:40Speaker 01

  To remind them.

• 8:41Trevor Noah?

  Come on.

• 8:41Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 8:42Trevor Noah?

  Like, football fans, you just get to sing and like. Reminisce à la beauté de votre équipe et de son legacy. Vous avez à chanter des chansons joyeuses. En même temps, dans les sports américains, vous devez littéralement dire aux gens ce que vous devez faire. C'est la partie où vous défendez. C'est la partie où vous défendez. C'est la partie où vous défendez. Vous savez ce que je veux dire ? Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?

• 9:01Speaker 01

  Vous faites semblant que les athlètes américains sont comme les requins.

• 9:04Trevor Noah?

  Non, mais ils ne le sont pas. Je parle de la chance.

• 9:06Speaker 01

  Oui, oui.

• 9:06Trevor Noah?

  Les chances sont terribles.

• 9:07Speaker 01

  Non, comme le...

• 9:08Trevor Noah?

  Donc, je pense...

• 9:09Speaker 01

  Le chorégraphie, oui.

• 9:10Trevor Noah?

  Je comprends, oui. Je ne dis pas que l'assainissement sportif n'est pas une chose. Mais je suis souvent épuisé parce que nous vivons dans un monde où les gens disent que nous, comme les humains, devons passer plus de temps à connaître les autres pour que nous formons des opinions les uns des autres. Et des places et des idées. Nous devons nous faire moins rigides. Et puis quand nous avons des événements qui font ça, nous disons que les événements ne devraient pas arriver parce que...

• 9:33Speaker 01

  Je pense que c'est parce que...

• 9:34Trevor Noah?

  Parce que quand d'autre chose se passerait-il ?

• 9:35Speaker 01

  Non, je pense que c'est parce que...

• 9:36Trevor Noah?

  Quand d'autre chose se passerait-il ? Quand d'autre chose se passerait-il ? Des milliers de Noéens influenceront les Américains. Quand d'autre chose se passerait-il ? Des milliers de Scottais influenceront... Regardez, regardez, et pas seulement en Amérique. Regardez le amour, le nouveau romance entre Corée et Mexique. As-tu vu les fans coréens et mexicains ?

• 9:51Speaker 01

  C'est beau, oui. Je dirais...

• 9:53Trevor Noah?

  Il y aura tant de bébés coréens et mexicains naissants l'année prochaine.

• 9:57Speaker 01

  C'est drôle que tu parles de l'impact, l'impact extérieur sur les intérieurs et puis l'impact sur les... Sur les outsiders. Parce que quand nous sommes allés en Qatar, nous étions en train de parler avec l'un des meilleurs gars du comité organisateur. Et il nous a dit que Qatar ne voulait pas la Coupe du monde. Les gens de Qatar...

• 10:14Trevor Noah?

  Oui.

• 10:14Speaker 01

  Ne voulaient pas la Coupe du monde parce qu'ils pensaient que tous ces foreigners qui venaient, ils n'avaient qu'à voir des vidéos...

• 10:18Trevor Noah?

  Oui.

• 10:19Speaker 01

  Des hooligans anglais.

• 10:20Trevor Noah?

  Oh oui, c'est vrai.

• 10:20Speaker 01

  Et ils se demandaient que tous ces animaux qui venaient en Qatar, ils allaient violer nos femmes. Ils allaient vandaliser nos bâtiments.

• 10:26Trevor Noah?

  Oui.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Et puis les gens sont venus et je me souviens qu'il m'a dit distinctivement que il se souvient que le point de départ était quand les Qataris se levantaient et en fait donnaient de l'eau aux fans. Parce que les Qataris se sont rendu compte que, oh, pas tous les foreigners sont des hooligans anglais.

• 10:41Trevor Noah?

  Oui.

• 10:41Speaker 01

  Et puis les foreigners se sont rendus compte que pas tous les Qataris... I think the same as their government.

• 10:47Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 10:47Speaker 01

  They don't think LGBTQ people should be executed. They don't think all the things that we were.

• 10:51Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 10:52Speaker 01

  Or they don't think that immigrants should be said like so. That's very interesting. But the reason I think we talk about sports washing is. When you look at the countries that normally vie to host the World Cup, they're countries in need of a reputational cleanup. So, for example, Russia, they just invaded Crimea when they got the World Cup.

• 11:13Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but they, I'm not saying that's not true, but they had to bid for the World Cup long before they invaded Crimea.

• 11:19Speaker 01

  But I'm saying when the World Cup came, it helped their image. They went from, oh, Russia. Not a candidate for neighbor of the yard. Oh, Russia. It's possible. They are not as cold as they seem. I'll say, look, look at Qatar. Okay, so now it was Russia, Qatar, the US. Then it's going to be Morocco, Spain, and there's going to be Saudi Arabia. And I think logically the next stop should be North Korea.

• 11:44Trevor Noah?

  Man, and North Korean World Cup would be something.

• 11:47Speaker 01

  We'll be like, oh, we did.

• 11:48Trevor Noah?

  Did you see, by the way.

• 11:49Speaker 01

  The man was right all along.

• 11:50Trevor Noah?

  By the way, did you see, uh, there was, um, there was a piece that I was reading. I saw something online. It's funny you brought up North Korea. Apparently, North Korea has experienced like a boom over the past few years, like a major, and please don't get me wrong. This is. This is relative to itself because North Korea is still like extremely underdeveloped. There's a lot of poverty in it. But apparently they've really been doing well ironically because of the wars that are being fought. People forget how many, um, how, how much, how much money they make from arms.

• 12:20Speaker 01

  Yeah, yes, yeah, yes.

• 12:21Trevor Noah?

  And from troops and from, yeah, but apparently, so you never know. Maybe North Korea could be, but okay.

• 12:26Speaker 01

  I saw, I saw this video because you're talking about North Korea. I saw this video that was showing how North Korea has changed, has developed. And they're just using a parking lot. And you could see the number of cars.

• 12:37Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, the technology even.

• 12:39Speaker 01

  The technology.

• 12:40Trevor Noah?

  No, the technology like, but, but this is what I mean. As much as people say you should keep a state a pariah.

• 12:47Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 12:47Trevor Noah?

  To punish them for their actions. I sometimes wonder if the opposite isn't more true. Can you keep a state a pariah if you bring them into the fold?

• 12:58Speaker 01

  That's FIFA's argument. FIFA's argument always is you can't bring the football. Can't help bring a country into the international fold.

• 13:06Trevor Noah?

  Right.

• 13:07Speaker 01

  So like when. Outsiders go to Qatar.

• 13:11Trevor Noah?

  Mm hmm.

• 13:12Speaker 01

  Qatar, just by that interaction alone.

• 13:14Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 13:14Speaker 01

  It's almost like, you know, when you hear about Europeans going and meeting these uncontacted tribes

• 13:19Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 13:19Speaker 01

  in the Amazon.

• 13:19Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 13:20Speaker 01

  Just the interaction alone has like benefits to opening up.

• 13:25Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, I don't, I don't think you can, I don't think you can start diplomacy without diplomats.

• 13:30Speaker 01

  That's a very good, yeah, that's, that's your first argument every time. When we take football to these places, those places are always almost like it's an eye opening moment for them.

• 13:37Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but even, even not even taking it to the places, look what the World Cup has done. How many people in the world knew Cape Verde was even a thing before the World Cup? How many people knew Kurosawa was even a thing? Speaking to you now, Kurosawa has a point. They have a point at the World Cup.

• 13:52Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 13:53Trevor Noah?

  You know what I'm saying?

• 13:53Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 13:54Trevor Noah?

  And they got that point against Ecuador, a team that did extremely well.

• 13:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 13:57Trevor Noah?

  In the, in the qualifying.

• 13:59Speaker 01

  Golden generation as well of Ecuador.

• 14:01Trevor Noah?

  So for Kurosawa.

• 14:02Speaker 01

  They scored for, for, for, for, for like a heartbeat there. They were toe to toe with Germany.

• 14:07Trevor Noah?

  And for them, it was a win.

• 14:08Speaker 01

  No, no, it was a win. But then again, as you see, Cape Verde, their goalkeeper going from what, a few hundred followers? To nine point four million, eleven.

• 14:16Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 14:16Speaker 01

  It shows, yeah, it shows that power of the World Cup. But again, man, you know, I can see what the activists are talking about because the government will always use, because anytime you give something as powerful as the World Cup to a power hungry maniac, they'll always abuse it. But as you're saying also, once, once it brings people together, because if you look at the people, the people who love the beautiful game, or in the case of America.

• 14:41Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 14:41Speaker 01

  The people who didn't love, but now are falling in love because they're seeing Norwegians choreographing this Viking rowing thing, or they're seeing like Scottish people just having.

• 14:50Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, man, I think, I think, I think it's, look, I, I think both arguments have merit.

• 14:55Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 14:56Trevor Noah?

  But I think we shouldn't take for granted the lasting legacy.

• 14:59Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 14:59Trevor Noah?

  And the impact this will leave of just bringing humans together. We, we, we live in a world where so many people form their opinions based on, you know, just digital, yeah, digital information.

• 15:10Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 15:11Trevor Noah?

  How many people can say their opinions of others are formed by an actual experience? That's all I'm saying. You know, so I'm, I'm loving that part of it. Like, I actually love how for the World Cup, the scandals go away from geopolitics and they just go to the pitch.

• 15:27Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.

• 15:28Trevor Noah?

  You know, because now like the scandals are all on the pitch.

• 15:30Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm, hmm.

• 15:31Trevor Noah?

  I would say the biggest scandal at the World Cup now, oh, over this past week, Turkey.

• 15:37Trevor Noah?

  The Turkish team.

• 15:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 15:39Trevor Noah?

  Came in.

• 15:40Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 15:40Trevor Noah?

  If you think about it, like the Turkish team came into this World Cup.

• 15:43Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 15:43Trevor Noah?

  I don't know if you saw their send off.

• 15:45Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 15:45Trevor Noah?

  Right? They got one of the biggest send offs I've ever seen a country give their team.

• 15:49Speaker 01

  I think they were giving mansions in one of the most exclusive like seaside resorts.

• 15:53Trevor Noah?

  My friend.

• 15:53Speaker 01

  Every player for just qualifying.

• 15:54Trevor Noah?

  My friend.

• 15:55Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 15:55Trevor Noah?

  Because how many years has it been since Turkey was in?

• 15:57Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's been like, I think.

• 15:58Trevor Noah?

  Twenty six years or somewhere there?

• 15:59Speaker 01

  It's been a long time. I think the last time where it was it two thousand and two? Yes, when they made it to the semi finals.

• 16:04Trevor Noah?

  It's been a very, very long time.

• 16:05Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 16:06Trevor Noah?

  They were driven out of the city with the most beautiful. It looked like they were going to like, like a, like a war, but a good war in a way.

• 16:12Speaker 01

  But that's what the World Cup feels like.

• 16:14Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, they were like.

• 16:14Speaker 01

  The World Cup, to go back to your point, the World Cup is the only time I feel, and the Olympics, but especially the World Cup, is the only time you're allowed to be xenophobic. Well, or nationalistic, maybe not xenophobic, but nationalistic.

• 16:25Trevor Noah?

  Nationalistic, yes.

• 16:26Speaker 01

  Where you're supposed to, where you go like, yeah, I'm from Kurasaw and I'm going to shit talk Germany. We hate the Germans. And everyone goes like, yeah, we agree, we hate the Germans. It's the only time you're allowed to be patriotically proud.

• 16:37Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 16:37Speaker 01

  Without it having like very negative undertones.

• 16:40Trevor Noah?

  It's the one time Germans can fly their flag.

• 16:42Speaker 01

  Oh, yes, proudly.

• 16:43Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 16:43Speaker 01

  Proudly, yes.

• 16:44Trevor Noah?

  This is the one time Germans can be like, and now am I allowed to bring out my flag for this moment? Yeah.

• 16:49Speaker 01

  And the English, and the English are like, yes, of course.

• 16:50Trevor Noah?

  And the English are like, yeah, come on, come on. The French are like, yeah, yeah, we can do it, but just for the tournament.

• 16:54Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 16:55Trevor Noah?

  That's probably why Germany always does well in the World Cup, because the longer they get to be in a World Cup, the longer Germans get to fly their flags. And they're just, they're like, yeah, this is so much fun. We're having a great time.

• 17:04Speaker 01

  We get to do this once every four years.

• 17:05Trevor Noah?

  July twentieth, put it away. Ah, okay. We'll see you in four years. We're going to continue this conversation right after this short break. Well, let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor Mazda for today's episode. Safety has a new leader. You know what I've realized? Most people don't actually think about safety when everything's going right. Yeah, you only notice it afterwards at the end of a long drive when you still feel relaxed. When traffic gets chaotic, but you never feel overwhelmed. When something unexpected happens and the car just feels composed.

• 17:45Trevor Noah?

  And I think that's what's interesting about Mazda's approach. Mazda has been named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand. It starts with their approach. Mazda believes real safety begins with helping to protect you before problems even start. So you can feel more confident on every single drive. And I like that philosophy because good design shouldn't interrupt the experience. It should support it quietly. Mazda has more 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Awards than any other brand as of April 2026. You don't believe me? Visit www.iihs.org to learn more.

• 18:30Trevor Noah?

  Do it, do it now.

• 18:37Speaker 01

  No, Turkey, you are used to talk about Turkey.

• 18:39Trevor Noah?

  Yoman, that, that, you look at it. Team comes in. That has one of the highest team values.

• 18:47Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 18:47Trevor Noah?

  Per capita, as in like the value of the players, where they play their football, how they are seen in the world.

• 18:53Speaker 01

  Two of the youngest.

• 18:54Trevor Noah?

  How they're rated.

• 18:54Speaker 01

  Two of the brightest young talents in world football, in Kenan Yildiz and Adagulay.

• 18:59Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, Adagulay and Kenan Yildiz.

• 19:01Speaker 01

  And also the mixed care of experience with Hakan, Hakan Çarhanoglu.

• 19:04Trevor Noah?

  Çarhanoglu, yeah. And you think of a team like that, everyone expected, also everyone was like, oh, their group is easy.

• 19:11Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 19:12Trevor Noah?

  So, so every pundit expected them to cakewalk the thing. Instead, they are now confidently out of the World Cup.

• 19:21Speaker 01

  Without a goal. Kurasah was done better than them.

• 19:25Trevor Noah?

  That's wild, man.

• 19:26Speaker 01

  Haiti is doing better than them, than them. Kep Vard is doing better than them. The thing is.

• 19:30Trevor Noah?

  That's wild. You do realize, you do realize, like, if you think about, like, their story, I was thinking about, like, Turkey is basically the reflecting pool of, of national teams right now.

• 19:41Speaker 01

  The reflecting pool, the DC reflecting pool.

• 19:43Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, the DC reflecting pool.

• 19:44Speaker 01

  Okay, explain this, elaborate.

• 19:46Trevor Noah?

  It was released to much fanfare.

• 19:48Speaker 01

  Okay, yes.

• 19:49Trevor Noah?

  There was a massive overhaul.

• 19:50Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 19:51Trevor Noah?

  Tons of money was pumped into it. They made this grand announcement with extreme expectations.

• 19:57Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 19:57Trevor Noah?

  And much sooner than people predicted, the paint started peeling off.

• 20:01Speaker 01

  Things fell apart, yes.

• 20:02Trevor Noah?

  And it fell apart and it became one of the biggest disasters we've ever seen. In, in a, like a space that really no one.

• 20:09Speaker 01

  The reflecting pool, yes.

• 20:10Trevor Noah?

  It would have been one thing if they said, oh, the reflecting pool after like two years. It, it, it happened in a comically short amount of time. That's what happened with Turkey.

• 20:18Speaker 01

  It would be great if also Turkey had Abraham Lincoln just looking gone very disappointed.

• 20:22Trevor Noah?

  Just judging from his seat.

• 20:24Speaker 01

  I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. No, the thing is, I'll say this about Turkey. So I've had a chance, and probably you have too. I've had a chance to visit Turkey, to visit Istanbul three times.

• 20:33Trevor Noah?

  You have?

• 20:34Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 20:34Trevor Noah?

  Why is your hair still like this?

• 20:36Speaker 01

  They went like, we are miracle workers, but come on. We can't, we can only do so much. Even the Turkish doctors went like, no.

• 20:42Trevor Noah?

  This is within the realm, it has to be within the realms of like science and, okay.

• 20:45Speaker 01

  Yeah, we, we, yeah, we don't, we don't make wonders. Yeah, no, but the thing is, I've had a chance to visit Istanbul three times. On a cruise, by the way. And every time I've visited Istanbul, I feel it's like the Brazil of Europe.

• 20:59Trevor Noah?

  Huh.

• 21:00Speaker 01

  The fans breathe, live and sleep football. They have the three biggest clubs.

• 21:05Trevor Noah?

  Galatasaray?

• 21:06Speaker 01

  Fenerbahce and Besiktas.

• 21:07Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 21:08Speaker 01

  And the fans, they're very passionate people, fiercely passionate. So I feel for them because this is very devastating. This is traumatic for them. They came in, they thought they would win, they got embarrassed. And if you've also had, like, we grew up watching European football. If you've had a chance to watch like those Turkish games.

• 21:24Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 21:24Speaker 01

  When they say an English team visits, oh my god.

• 21:26Trevor Noah?

  It's massive.

• 21:27Speaker 01

  I remember Man United visiting.

• 21:28Trevor Noah?

  It's massive.

• 21:29Speaker 01

  Visiting Galatasaray, uh, the Al Samien Stadium, and it's basically welcome to hell, that's what they call it.

• 21:34Trevor Noah?

  Yep.

• 21:34Speaker 01

  And when you would watch like teams go to the, you know, the way Fenerbahce used to play, it was called the Sakko Rosarogogru. Those stadiums really feel like.

• 21:44Speaker 01

  I wouldn't even, I wouldn't even know how to describe them because an American wouldn't get it. They feel like you've entered, you know when they say the fan is the twelfth man? It genuinely feels, it's like a field but with, with players.

• 21:56Trevor Noah?

  But why didn't that translate into the World Cup?

• 21:58Speaker 01

  No, so they have, and this is why, this is why.

• 22:01Trevor Noah?

  Zero goals, Joe.

• 22:02Speaker 01

  No, so this is why I feel for them because the two thousand and two team was their golden generation before this golden generation. And if you remember that team, they had Hakan Suka in front.

• 22:09Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 22:10Speaker 01

  They had Hassan Sash, Davala.

• 22:12Trevor Noah?

  Yes, yes.

• 22:12Speaker 01

  They had like two guy and Emery and Alfa.

• 22:15Trevor Noah?

  And my question is what happened now?

• 22:16Speaker 01

  So when they came in, they thought, I think they were shocked by their, also they didn't have a, a natural number nine. I don't, I think they're struggling.

• 22:24Trevor Noah?

  But Joe, we had, we had a stage where we're just asking about a singular goal.

• 22:29Speaker 01

  No, I'll say this about the World Cup, remember every team that shows up at the World Cup.

• 22:34Speaker 01

  Like there are no pushovers at the World Cup. That might sound weird when you've seen some of the scorelines.

• 22:39Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but people, people forget that every team beat a bunch of teams to get here, like Italy is not in the World Cup.

• 22:44Speaker 01

  It's not here because of Bosnia.

• 22:45Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 22:46Speaker 01

  And Bosnia hasn't had like a good World Cup, but the thing is every team at the World Cup is playing every game like it's a World Cup final. So when some people go like, oh, it's forty eight teams, they're going to be small teams. No, my friend, when Kurasaw is playing, that's the biggest game of their lives. When Cape Verde is playing, that's their World Cup final.

• 23:04Trevor Noah?

  I think, I think maybe that's, that's something people forget. Whether actively, like subconsciously or consciously, I think a lot of people forget how many teams are at the World Cup, not because they were chosen.

• 23:18Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 23:19Trevor Noah?

  But because they won.

• 23:20Speaker 01

  Yes, they won, they earned their place.

• 23:21Trevor Noah?

  Like every team is here because they won, but I think sometimes people make it seem like, oh, that's cute. They went and fetched Cape Verde, oh, that's cute. They think it's like a Cinderella story, like America's.

• 23:29Speaker 01

  Azerbaijan is here.

• 23:30Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, like America's got talent or something. It's like, no, no, no. This is, this is like an active, active story, but, but this is, this is, this is why I think like Turkey's really gonna have to, it's, it, there's gonna be a lot of, um, uh, what do they call it? There's gonna be a post-mortem.

• 23:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, so Vincenzo Montella, the coach, is certainly going to lose his job.

• 23:47Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 23:47Speaker 01

  And I loved him as a player.

• 23:48Trevor Noah?

  It's gonna be, it's gonna be, it's gonna be massive because here you have a team. That maybe wasn't expected to win the whole thing by their fans, but the fans expected

• 23:58Speaker 01

  At least to make a run, yes.

• 23:59Trevor Noah?

  A late run. Because of the expanded format, by the way. Because of the expanded format, there's actually a high expectation on teams. Because there are easier games, there are easier moments in groups.

• 24:12Speaker 01

  Also, you don't have just to finish second.

• 24:13Trevor Noah?

  Exactly. These eight third place teams are gonna go through. So their fans are saying, yeah, we didn't expect everything, but we expected something. And then you've got that happening. And I find it interesting how, I think a lot of the pressure is compounded by the fact that this is also the World Cup. It's like the Cinderella World Cup.

• 24:34Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 24:35Trevor Noah?

  So it would be one thing if Turkey was losing their games and that was that.

• 24:41Trevor Noah?

  It's something else when you're a Turkish fan, watching your team lose its games while Kurosawa is scoring against Germany, while they're getting a draw against Ecuador, while Cape Verde is getting a draw against Spain, while you're watching Japan go toe to toe with the Netherlands, thrashing Tunisia, while you're watching, you're watching clubs, Team USA.

• 25:03Speaker 01

  Also, the embarrassing.

• 25:04Trevor Noah?

  Turning into prime Barcelona.

• 25:05Speaker 01

  I feel like the second game, I feel the second game they lost was very embarrassing because Paraguay were reduced. Paraguay, first of all, had lost to the US badly.

• 25:15Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 25:15Speaker 01

  So they went like, oh, this is a game we should be able to win. Because you went like, okay, Australia, maybe Australia sucker punched them because they dominated that game.

• 25:25Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 25:25Speaker 01

  They created all the chances. So you went like, okay, that's a bad day at the office, you know, we got sucker punched. But if you watch Uruguay get dominated the way they were dominated by the US, you went like, oh, this should be a cakewalk for Turkey. They lose 1-0. Paraguay plays most of the game, 10 men, because Miguel Almenon was sent off for that.

• 25:44Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 25:45Speaker 01

  And still Turkey couldn't find a way.

• 25:47Trevor Noah?

  By the way, do you think that that should be a red card or a face?

• 25:48Speaker 01

  I think it should be. I think it should be. I think FIFA is saying you should say it with your chest.

• 25:53Trevor Noah?

  I don't think it should be a red card.

• 25:54Speaker 01

  Say it with your chest. No, because when you do this, and you know where it comes from. It comes from.

• 25:58Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but I don't think it should be a red card.

• 26:00Speaker 01

  No, I think it should be. I think it should be because when you say.

• 26:02Trevor Noah?

  I think it should be a yellow card. Okay, let me tell you why.

• 26:05Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 26:06Trevor Noah?

  For me, a red card, and I'll preface this by saying.

• 26:13Trevor Noah?

  I choose this because of when the rule was enforced.

• 26:17Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 26:18Trevor Noah?

  Whenever there's a new rule in football. I think we shouldn't take for granted how reflexive so many actions are in the game, okay? Athletes all over the world.

• 26:29Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 26:30Trevor Noah?

  Have gotten very comfortable doing this, even on the bench when they speak to each other. You know, they do this, watch the New York Knicks at the, at the victory parade. They're doing this the whole time. They're speaking to each other because they don't want their lips to be red, okay? You, you get taught to do this, put your hand in front of your mouth, put your hand in front of your mouth. Now, it's a new rule. That gets brought into the World Cup. A few months before the World Cup, not like years before. Right? So you don't get to like play it in the leagues.

• 26:57Trevor Noah?

  You get to the World Cup. There's a moment. You just do your default, you put your hand, it's instinctive, red card. I think it should be a yellow. Because the game itself, the game.

• 27:12Trevor Noah?

  Is disrupted so much by this decision. That you should give a nation an opportunity to be like, oh no, that person, like, you know what I mean?

• 27:21Speaker 01

  Also by the Miggy Arumiron, one of the nicest guys in the game. You also, you also don't. I hate agreeing with you, but now that you put it like that, you're going to go, there should be an off ramp.

• 27:31Trevor Noah?

  Because also, and, and it'll be fine, you know what? Even if, even if they said to the opponent, what did he say to you? Even if the opponent said, no, no, no, he, he said something about my mother or whatever, whatever, it's fine, yellow card.

• 27:41Speaker 01

  No, I agree with you.

• 27:42Trevor Noah?

  But.

• 27:43Speaker 01

  I hate it, but I agree with you, yes.

• 27:45Trevor Noah?

  If the player says he said something racist, oh, then the ref can say red card.

• 27:48Speaker 01

  No, because that was, that was the origin of the rule.

• 27:50Trevor Noah?

  Yes.

• 27:50Speaker 01

  Vinny said, Presianni said something racist. Presianni said, I didn't say anything racist.

• 27:54Trevor Noah?

  And you can't prove it.

• 27:54Speaker 01

  The referee couldn't prove it because Presianni had. But the thing is, where I agree with you and I hate it, I hate it. I hate this moment. Where I agree with you is the off ramp. This was a decision, this was a rule created basically two, three months ago.

• 28:08Trevor Noah?

  Yes.

• 28:09Speaker 01

  And the players have been doing this their whole lives.

• 28:11Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 28:12Speaker 01

  Cause even Messi, when Messi.

• 28:13Trevor Noah?

  It's like taking your shirt off after you celebrate.

• 28:15Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 28:16Trevor Noah?

  You can't go to red card.

• 28:16Speaker 01

  Yes, that should have been an off round.

• 28:18Trevor Noah?

  You know what I mean? You can't go red card for time wasting. And I mean, now time wasting is like more common, people understand it. But I think there are, there are certain things where we forget that it's just like part of the game.

• 28:27Speaker 01

  Hmm. It was a very reactive role as well. It reacted to a particular incident because that incident involved a star player.

• 28:33Trevor Noah?

  Do you remember when they said, um, only captains can speak to the referee?

• 28:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 28:37Trevor Noah?

  They made a new rule.

• 28:38Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 28:38Trevor Noah?

  The players, players can't swarm the ref. Only the captains can speak to the referee.

• 28:44Speaker 01

  Players still.

• 28:45Trevor Noah?

  Players still ran to the referee.

• 28:46Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 28:47Trevor Noah?

  And then they said, we'll give you a yellow card for this.

• 28:50Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 28:50Trevor Noah?

  Imagine if they said red.

• 28:51Speaker 01

  Oh, the other rule as well was you can't ask for a yellow card.

• 28:54Trevor Noah?

  Yes.

• 28:54Speaker 01

  And players, every time they are fouled.

• 28:56Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, they would do this. And then they would get yellows.

• 28:59Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 28:59Trevor Noah?

  But then over time, they stopped doing it.

• 29:01Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm, hmm.

• 29:02Trevor Noah?

  Except Vinicius.

• 29:03Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 29:03Trevor Noah?

  They stopped doing it. And it, but imagine if it was, guys, red cards are such. A red card for me is such an egregious offence.

• 29:12Speaker 01

  It changes the dynamic of the game, changes the complexion, conditions the whole game. The good thing for Paraguay is it didn't cost them ultimately.

• 29:18Trevor Noah?

  And that's now, imagine, now we're going back. Imagine if you're a Turkey fan going.

• 29:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:22Trevor Noah?

  We gave, we got, these guys got a red card.

• 29:25Speaker 01

  But I, but I have a question for you. Turkey and Tunisia, who is having the worst World Cup?

• 29:30Trevor Noah?

  Turkey.

• 29:31Speaker 01

  Turkey?

• 29:32Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, Turkey.

• 29:33Speaker 01

  Cause Tunisia fired their coach after losing five nil.

• 29:36Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 29:36Speaker 01

  And also they improved because they lo, they lost four nil.

• 29:38Trevor Noah?

  But. No, but Turkey, Turkey's having a worse one because Turkey had, look at the team.

• 29:43Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 29:43Trevor Noah?

  Look at the team, look at the footballing heritage, look at their, their inner moments. Turkey's having the worst one.

• 29:49Speaker 01

  No, but I was.

• 29:50Trevor Noah?

  You know who was sped? Actually, the blush is funny enough.

• 29:51Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 29:52Trevor Noah?

  Um, I think. Turkey would have wanted to do what many of the other clubs who had a shaky start did.

• 29:58Speaker 01

  Okay, teams, yeah.

• 29:59Trevor Noah?

  Hmm. So Brazil.

• 30:01Speaker 01

  Hmm. Oh, I see.

• 30:02Trevor Noah?

  You know, like Brazil came out and said, we've seen every meme.

• 30:05Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 30:05Trevor Noah?

  We've seen every critique, we've seen every pundit.

• 30:08Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 30:09Trevor Noah?

  Carlo Ancelotti switched out his front line.

• 30:11Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm.

• 30:11Trevor Noah?

  Put Cunha in.

• 30:12Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 30:13Trevor Noah?

  Benched Iago Tiago.

• 30:14Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm.

• 30:15Trevor Noah?

  Said, okay, let's play this game, let's get out there. And very quickly, they were on top of the game.

• 30:19Speaker 01

  It helps when you're playing Haiti though, in your second game.

• 30:21Trevor Noah?

  But eh, we say that until you're drawing against Cape Verde.

• 30:24Speaker 01

  You're right, yes, yes.

• 30:25Trevor Noah?

  You know what I mean?

• 30:26Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 30:27Trevor Noah?

  And I think that's, that's the biggest thing I've noticed at this World Cup is the big teams. In this second week, especially the ones who didn't have a good like.

• 30:36Speaker 01

  Spain.

• 30:37Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 30:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 30:38Trevor Noah?

  Even Netherlands etcetera, they came out swinging now instead of like allowing the game to develop and thinking. The Netherlands scored two goals in the first like twenty minutes of their game.

• 30:49Speaker 01

  Sweden turning Brann Broby into prime Kluivert and also Cody Gappco into prime Ruud van Nistelrooy.

• 30:54Trevor Noah?

  But that but that game, we'll we'll talk about that game should have, uh who else?

• 30:58Speaker 01

  Defector Scorsese, yes.

• 31:00Trevor Noah?

  Scored Brazil, scored their first two goals, how quick, do you know what I mean? It's like, I think I think a lot of the teams are realizing this isn't a league match, it can't have the pace of a league match. You wanna get in, get your goals as quickly as possible and then get into the game. And and Spain, you saw that in their game, right?

• 31:17Speaker 01

  Came out here fast too.

• 31:18Trevor Noah?

  First game, they were like, oh no, let's build it up, tic tac tac, let's feel the game. They're like, no, this is not, because they forget that their opponents are so happy to get a draw. You know what I mean? You can't, a draw is is valuable at this World Cup, especially when third place gets you through if you're in the the top eight third teams, you know? But now the teams came out, Brazil guns blazing, Spain guns blazing.

• 31:39Speaker 01

  But I think also the thing with opening games, opening games are always very cagey affairs. Cause no one wants, no, I mean like when it's your first game in the World Cup, it's almost like.

• 31:51Trevor Noah?

  Look at England, look at England and look at France. Yeah, but look at England and France.

• 31:56Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 31:57Trevor Noah?

  They were like, there's nothing cagey about this.

• 32:00Trevor Noah?

  You, in my opinion, no team that's a big team.

• 32:05Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 32:06Trevor Noah?

  Should ever believe that the first game should be cagey because a first game literally means nothing. It also means nothing.

• 32:13Speaker 01

  Yes, you lose it, you can see.

• 32:14Trevor Noah?

  If you lose it, you can still go on to win a World Cup. We've seen many winners do that. So the first game is a game where you should just come out, swing as hard as you can and then calibrate.

• 32:23Speaker 01

  But I think he's just saying that as as a monolith as a team, but I'm saying the players, the individual players.

• 32:29Trevor Noah?

  Oh, okay, okay, you think they're a bit.

• 32:31Speaker 01

  Yes, no player wants to be seen as a player who made the mistake.

• 32:34Trevor Noah?

  My friend.

• 32:34Speaker 01

  Who made, it's almost like, you know, you know, when you come on as a substitute and they go like, let the first touch just be safe enough.

• 32:40Trevor Noah?

  My friend, this is the World Cup.

• 32:44Trevor Noah?

  You can't, you can't put on a Brazil shirt and not be sure of yourself.

• 32:47Speaker 01

  But I think it's a Brazil.

• 32:48Trevor Noah?

  Matheus Cunha, that guy did not look like he was just trying to feel out the game.

• 32:51Speaker 01

  Came as a substitute. He was fighting for his place.

• 32:54Trevor Noah?

  Yes.

• 32:54Speaker 01

  He got Thiago, put him on the bench.

• 32:55Trevor Noah?

  Look now.

• 32:56Speaker 01

  But now, yeah, but I'm saying second game, things have settled now.

• 32:59Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 33:00Speaker 01

  The worst that could happen has almost happened.

• 33:02Trevor Noah?

  But not Lamine Yamal, Lamine from the first game.

• 33:04Speaker 01

  He came on as a substitute as well.

• 33:06Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but he, but he didn't settle.

• 33:07Speaker 01

  Lamine has the fearlessness of youth though.

• 33:09Trevor Noah?

  No.

• 33:09Speaker 01

  You know, he.

• 33:10Trevor Noah?

  Joe, Messi.

• 33:11Speaker 01

  Talk to any teenager, teenagers don't care.

• 33:13Trevor Noah?

  Messi first game.

• 33:14Speaker 01

  Consequences.

• 33:14Trevor Noah?

  Messi first game.

• 33:15Speaker 01

  Messi has the fearlessness of a veteran.

• 33:19Trevor Noah?

  No, you're gonna make excuses for everyone. You're gonna make excuses for everyone now.

• 33:23Speaker 01

  Yes, no, no, you're right.

• 33:23Trevor Noah?

  Harry Kane.

• 33:24Speaker 01

  No, you're right. No, you're, no, you're right. You're right. You're right. It's, you're, you're basically saying fortune favors the brave.

• 33:29Trevor Noah?

  Yes, it does. It does. It does. And, and by the way, that's another narrative I feel like needs to change, especially after the second week of the World Cup. This whole narrative around like David versus Goliath, I think we need to switch it up. Like.

• 33:42Speaker 01

  It's regards African teams, yes.

• 33:43Trevor Noah?

  When they go like, oh, Courteiro against Germany, David versus Goliath.

• 33:48Speaker 01

  Senegal, mm, mm.

• 33:50Trevor Noah?

  Senegal versus, David versus Goliath. I feel like pundits, commentators.

• 33:55Speaker 01

  It's very patronizing, by the way.

• 33:56Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, it's patronizing, but more importantly, it's also inaccurate now. Okay? First of all, physically, if you look at the actual players.

• 34:04Speaker 01

  It's reversed, yes.

• 34:05Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, the roles are definitely reversed. Like, Germany were struggling for size.

• 34:09Speaker 01

  So you're saying it's wrong both metaphorically and also.

• 34:12Trevor Noah?

  And literally.

• 34:12Speaker 01

  Literally, yes.

• 34:13Trevor Noah?

  And quite literally. And secondly, I think we've, we've outgrown that metaphor, David versus Goliath, because it's not David versus Goliath, you know? It's not like, oh, can David defeat Goliath? No. David is now a world beater. David has multiple players from Europe playing in his squad. David now has some of the most talented footballers. David's been in the gym.

• 34:34Speaker 01

  Taking steroids, yes.

• 34:35Trevor Noah?

  Taking creatine, doing his thing. David is like on top of it. David's got a few belts under, you know what I mean?

• 34:40Speaker 01

  I always had a problem with the original. Story anyway.

• 34:44Trevor Noah?

  Why?

• 34:45Speaker 01

  I thought David was, I thought David was a wimp. He was just throwing things, you know, like, come on.

• 34:50Trevor Noah?

  Nah, man, can I tell you, it's actually funny you say that. I, I remember reading something that says, we might have misunderstood that whole story.

• 34:56Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 34:57Trevor Noah?

  If it was a real story that happened. Cause they're saying by all accounts, Goliath may just have been like this very big lumbering man.

• 35:05Speaker 01

  Oh, okay.

• 35:06Trevor Noah?

  And David was actually nimble, was like super quick with his slingshot. It was actually a bad, it was a bad matchup for Goliath.

• 35:12Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 35:13Trevor Noah?

  Like Goliath, it was actually bad for him, even if you read it in the story, in the Bible. Like David comes there and he's like, I don't need all this armor, I don't need.

• 35:20Speaker 01

  Oh, cause it will weigh me down.

• 35:21Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, he's like, it'll weigh me down. And so like Goliath is there, this lumbering, you know what I mean?

• 35:25Speaker 01

  Hmm, I see your point, yes.

• 35:26Trevor Noah?

  And that's, that's what I think it is, in a weird way, it shouldn't be, you know, oh, will David beat Goliath? It should be like, i- is Goliath still what he's hyped up to be?

• 35:37Speaker 01

  Oh, okay, yeah.

• 35:37Trevor Noah?

  I feel like a lot of host nations, or a lot, a lot of the big nations, that's, you know, the old winners.

• 35:43Speaker 01

  European nations and South American nations, yes.

• 35:45Trevor Noah?

  They're just old Goliaths. Like England, England, they're considered a Goliath.

• 35:50Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 35:50Trevor Noah?

  But when was the, when was the last time they won a fight? Like the big fights.

• 35:55Speaker 01

  That's what I'm thinking, it comes down to their recognizability.

• 35:59Trevor Noah?

  When was the last time Brazil won its big fights?

• 36:00Speaker 01

  Yes, it comes down to how recognizable your player is.

• 36:03Trevor Noah?

  When was the last time Italy, Italy still, Italy's still considered a Goliath?

• 36:07Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 36:08Trevor Noah?

  When was the last time Italy, think about it?

• 36:11Speaker 01

  Since two thousand and six.

• 36:12Trevor Noah?

  Come on, we're still calling these teams Goliaths. At some point, we've got to like change the term now, it can't be like, it can be like, yo, uh, is this Goliath?

• 36:19Speaker 01

  Germany didn't make it out of the group, two consecutive World Cups, twenty eighteen and twenty twenty two.

• 36:24Trevor Noah?

  You, you get what I'm saying?

• 36:26Speaker 01

  No, no, I hear you.

• 36:27Trevor Noah?

  I think all of these, all of these games, like, you can't look at Senegal anymore, even like the way the pundits talk about it. I, I, I mean, not that I should be, it's not like I'm offended by this, but I even find it weird that even like the commentators and the pundits are still like, and Africa, look at the Africans doing it, the Afri. No one says that about the European teams.

• 36:44Speaker 01

  You know, when a movie star is, has been so good, they cost. On the hype of their success for the longest time and then you go like, yeah, you know, many bad movies Nicholas Cage had to put out for us to finally go like, yo, guys, I think Nicholas Cage is the longest star, but for the longest time, it was Nicholas Cage, box office superstar and one of the guys, no, yeah.

• 37:08Trevor Noah?

  I think we need to start, we need to start because, okay, let's look at the Germany-Cottevoix game, Germany-Ivory Coast.

• 37:16Trevor Noah?

  Coming in, people would go, oh, David versus Goliath, can Ivory Coast stand up to them? Watch the actual game, watch the chances created.

• 37:26Speaker 01

  German was struggling, yes.

• 37:27Trevor Noah?

  There's a specific moment that we all remember, if Simon Adingra.

• 37:31Speaker 01

  Yeah, yes, first times that ball, yes.

• 37:33Trevor Noah?

  Just put it on target.

• 37:35Speaker 01

  Nicolas Pepe, by the way, late in the game as well, late.

• 37:38Trevor Noah?

  All of a sudden, the game has changed, you know what I mean? It's not like Germany was all over that team. Germany scores a phenomenal goal, but even that tells you something. If you have to score a phenomenal goal to win the game, it means that you weren't the Goliath you thought you were.

• 37:53Speaker 01

  Yes, but I think.

• 37:54Trevor Noah?

  Like Spain against Saudi Arabia.

• 37:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 37:56Trevor Noah?

  That is like, okay, you can see that this is a lopsided competition. But if you have to put together the most amazing pass, the most amazing touch and turn and shot to get your goal, then my friend, this wasn't a mismatch.

• 38:11Speaker 01

  But I think so.

• 38:12Trevor Noah?

  Does that make sense?

• 38:12Speaker 01

  No, but I think it's still, and I agree with you, but I think it's also about the legacy, how many titles you've won.

• 38:17Trevor Noah?

  But that's my point.

• 38:19Speaker 01

  I'll give you an example, Germany versus Ivory Coast.

• 38:21Trevor Noah?

  Yes.

• 38:21Speaker 01

  When Germany scores, when Dennis Onda, you know, quick turn and that first time shot, first of all, by the way, in natural finisher, because he didn't even need to look where the goal was.

• 38:29Trevor Noah?

  Absolutely out of this world.

• 38:30Speaker 01

  So when he scores, almost every person I know who is a student of the game, every person who has loved the game for a long time, immediately went back to Gary Lineker's court. You know that famous quote by Gary Lineker?

• 38:41Trevor Noah?

  No.

• 38:41Speaker 01

  Where when like football is a simple game, where twenty-two men chase the ball for ninety minutes and in the end the Germans win.

• 38:47Trevor Noah?

  That's so funny.

• 38:48Speaker 01

  So everyone went back to that. Everyone remembered, oh, this is what the Germans do. There were so many Dutch fans. Cause Holland and Germany have, or the Netherlands and Germany have that weird rivalry. There's so many Dutch fans who went like, yeah, we've seen this happen so many times. The Germans always do this. It's almost like they give you hope and then a dagger. So it's, I think it's about the legacy. And you're right.

• 39:09Trevor Noah?

  I hear you, but at some point, we're gonna ask ourselves, like, is Goliath the underdog now?

• 39:13Speaker 01

  You know what's happening? Cause Americans would relate to this. It's the legacy admission. You know, when they go like, oh, your father was an alumna- yeah, he was an alumnus at this college. Oh, the library is named after him.

• 39:25Trevor Noah?

  Yes. Just because your dad went to the school doesn't mean you deserve to be at the school.

• 39:28Speaker 01

  You don't have the grades even, but they go like, oh, right.

• 39:30Trevor Noah?

  You don't have, Germany won the World Cup. Not this German squad.

• 39:33Speaker 01

  Generation, yes.

• 39:34Trevor Noah?

  You get what I'm saying?

• 39:35Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 39:35Trevor Noah?

  This current Argentina squad won the World Cup.

• 39:37Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 39:38Trevor Noah?

  See, that's different.

• 39:38Speaker 01

  Yes, that's different.

• 39:39Trevor Noah?

  This current French squad won the World Cup. That's different. When you look at like the pieces, a lot of it's.

• 39:44Speaker 01

  Italy shouldn't be getting into a college.

• 39:45Trevor Noah?

  You can't. You can't.

• 39:46Speaker 01

  Italy should be going to a community college somewhere.

• 39:48Trevor Noah?

  You can't still be riding on the coattails of a generation that doesn't exist anymore. Oh, we've won the World Cup. No, we. Who's we? That's where, that's where if you had like an African parent, they would be quick to tell you.

• 39:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, they would remind you.

• 39:59Trevor Noah?

  You'd be like, ah, we bought this house. They'd be like, who's we? You live in this house. I bought it.

• 40:04Speaker 01

  This is my roof, yes.

• 40:05Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, this is my house and my car.

• 40:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, but that's why we don't have.

• 40:08Trevor Noah?

  You live in it.

• 40:09Speaker 01

  Yeah, but that's why we don't have Nepal babies in Africa.

• 40:10Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, that's exactly.

• 40:11Speaker 01

  The concept of a Nepal baby is spoiled. It's like totally.

• 40:14Trevor Noah?

  So for me.

• 40:15Speaker 01

  It's wasted on an African parent.

• 40:16Trevor Noah?

  It doesn't work.

• 40:17Speaker 01

  Cause an African parent goes like, what do you mean? This is my stuff. You better go out there and look for your own stuff. Cause I also remember African parents love struggle. They go like, ah, I struggled.

• 40:26Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, do you know what I'm trying to get here?

• 40:28Speaker 01

  Yes, you have to struggle as well. You appreciate it when you struggle.

• 40:30Trevor Noah?

  Maybe that's why we appreciate Team USA so much now is because it feels like their struggle is bearing fruit.

• 40:36Speaker 01

  Hmm. And it's also disconnected. They don't have that legacy. They don't have a team they can point to. Where they go like, oh, this team. Like they have.

• 40:44Trevor Noah?

  Man, they did well, man.

• 40:45Speaker 01

  They have had some teams like in two thousand two that maybe lost to Germany, but they still don't have that team, yes.

• 40:50Trevor Noah?

  It was great.

• 40:51Speaker 01

  Hmm. No, they are amazing.

• 40:52Trevor Noah?

  It was great. It was great for football.

• 40:54Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 40:54Trevor Noah?

  Again, they're through now, two games.

• 40:56Speaker 01

  Mexico is through.

• 40:57Trevor Noah?

  By the way, how do you, how do you feel about um the new format? Goal difference used to be the determining factor, now it's head to head.

• 41:05Speaker 01

  I think it sucks.

• 41:06Trevor Noah?

  Because now it means like teams immediately know that the third game means nothing.

• 41:11Speaker 01

  Means nothing, cause back then, when goal difference is the determinant or is the decider, then the teams go like, okay, third game, I'm gonna give it all.

• 41:19Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, because it might determine where you end up.

• 41:21Speaker 01

  Yes, now it's.

• 41:22Trevor Noah?

  Now, Mexico has, Mexico literally.

• 41:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, they don't need to.

• 41:26Trevor Noah?

  Can walk onto the pitch against Czechia and they can sit down and it does not change their outcome.

• 41:31Speaker 01

  And all, and Czechia can score as many goals as they want. Yes, I think FIFA tried to do head to head to avoid. I, I think it backfired. I think, I think it backfired, but Mexico making it through is good. I watched that Mexico game.

• 41:46Trevor Noah?

  No, I'm happy, I'm happy Mexico made it through.

• 41:48Speaker 01

  Made the save of the tournament. He made, he made like an incredible double save when he was on the ground.

• 41:53Trevor Noah?

  Oh, he did the, it's a, yeah, he had the first save down and then the second save, he was falling.

• 41:58Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 41:58Trevor Noah?

  And he hit the ball. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a great, yeah, that was really nice.

• 42:01Speaker 01

  We celebrate like the strikers with their golazos, but that.

• 42:04Trevor Noah?

  This has been the, the, the World Cup of goalkeepers.

• 42:07Speaker 01

  Yeah, goalkeepers, yes.

• 42:07Trevor Noah?

  No, goalkeepers are looking good in this World Cup.

• 42:09Speaker 01

  Vozina.

• 42:10Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, no, they, they're actually looking very good in this World Cup.

• 42:12Speaker 01

  His mom was allowed into the country. That's, that's how good a performance he gave in that game.

• 42:17Trevor Noah?

  That's when you know.

• 42:18Speaker 01

  That forget about the, also, also forget about the following, his mom.

• 42:22Trevor Noah?

  You know, that's, that's when you go like, how good were you? I was so good that America changed its immigration policies for my mom.

• 42:30Speaker 01

  And also, the mom was received as like a, some kind of returning.

• 42:33Trevor Noah?

  Like a dignitary.

• 42:34Speaker 01

  Yes, but also like Vozina's story is so interesting and I think we touched about this.

• 42:38Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, we did, we did last time, yeah.

• 42:40Speaker 01

  He got like millions of followers and he's almost like the reverse Spider-Man, cause with great power came great irresponsibility. So he received 14 million followers and the first thing he did was follow everybody, every Instagram body that he could find.

• 42:56Trevor Noah?

  Hey man, live your dreams, you know?

• 42:58Speaker 01

  Also at 40, yeah, you know, this is his last dance and he's going like, I'm going down swinging. Yeah, I know. The keepers have been outstanding.

• 43:06Trevor Noah?

  What are we excited looking forward? What are we looking for?

• 43:09Speaker 01

  Looking forward, I'm very interested, one, in how Sweden navigates their last game.

• 43:16Trevor Noah?

  You know, let's talk about that game before we go into what's coming up.

• 43:18Speaker 01

  I'm very interested, yeah.

• 43:19Trevor Noah?

  I don't know what your analysis was. I think that's one of those games where the score doesn't reflect the chances. So Sweden, Sweden is a very spiky team. And what I mean by that is, you know, like, I think a team that's well balanced has a very smooth shape to it. So its good moments and its bad moments are not particularly far from each other. So it creates like a really beautiful, smooth shape.

• 43:41Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 43:42Trevor Noah?

  Then there are teams that are just like bad. So it's like a small circle. But then you have spiky teams, amazing moment, terrible moment, amazing moment, terrible moment, amazing moment. Because Sweden is so spiky, they conceded in every terrible moment. But they had like really good spikes where they could have scored and they didn't. Like, I thought Isak was fantastic feeding the ball to Gjokaréz. I think Gjokaréz was fantastic feeding the ball to Ayary.

• 44:05Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 44:05Trevor Noah?

  Ayary should have put a ball on target. Gjokaréz, I think, should have been a little bit more clinical. There were like three or four chances where Sweden could have scored and should have scored, in my opinion, and they didn't. And that turns the game, because when it's two nil and you make it two one.

• 44:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, of course. Now it's totally different.

• 44:25Trevor Noah?

  The Netherlands is a bit shaky now.

• 44:26Speaker 01

  And we've seen them against Japan, yes.

• 44:29Trevor Noah?

  If it's two one or three one and you make it three two, momentum, shaking it. I just felt like Sweden. I think people are writing Sweden off prematurely.

• 44:39Speaker 01

  I think they ran into a Dutch team again, because also you are talking about teams that started, that started in a cagey manner and then canned on the start. The Netherlands did that in the second game. I think they ran into a Dutch team that finally got its tactics together. Because remember the first game, they played Daniel Marin as the lone follow, as the lone forward. And then because in this game, uh, some of it was struggling with a knock, they moved Daniel Marin to the wing and then they brought in Brian Broby. Who is like a handful.

• 45:09Trevor Noah?

  I've always thought his, uh, Marlin is better on the right.

• 45:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, no. So they, so that's what they did. And then they brought in, because Broby killed them. He killed them with his physicality. He killed them with his strength.

• 45:18Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 45:18Speaker 01

  He killed them with his running. And I think for the longest time, for the longest time, especially in the first half, Lindeoff and his defensive partner couldn't handle that much power.

• 45:26Trevor Noah?

  You know what made me wonder, actually? I wonder if. You know, Brobby and Haaland and a lot of these, even Lukaku for glimpses.

• 45:35Speaker 01

  Big, strong boys, yes.

• 45:36Trevor Noah?

  I wonder if football, like fashion, is experiencing its come back to bell bottoms moment.

• 45:42Speaker 01

  Oh, it went through the small forward.

• 45:44Trevor Noah?

  Where we, we had a game for a long time where it was all about have a big man up front. He powers through, he makes space, he gets you goals. Then that man became shorter and shorter and shorter.

• 45:54Speaker 01

  And smaller, yes.

• 45:55Trevor Noah?

  Messi.

• 45:55Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 45:56Trevor Noah?

  Basically eclipsed, like basically deleted that position from the game. And now it was the David Vias and it was, you know, the Agueros and, but it was really like, the point of that player was not to like overpower a defense.

• 46:08Speaker 01

  It was skill them through their movement.

• 46:09Trevor Noah?

  Right, but then because the game became about movement and passing, defending became tighter.

• 46:14Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 46:14Trevor Noah?

  It became about a block, it became about shapes to cut off the passing lanes and the triangles. But now because of that, one of the only ways you can get a goal and you can score is to whip the ball in behind a defense. Or to whip the ball in or to create some sort of running chaos. Because that's where numbers don't help you.

• 46:30Speaker 01

  You need a battering ram, yes.

• 46:32Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, if you, if you have six defenders running towards their own goal. It doesn't really help them as much as six defenders facing away from their goal.

• 46:40Speaker 01

  Yes, you're right, yes.

• 46:40Trevor Noah?

  Do you get what I'm saying?

• 46:41Speaker 01

  The thing about soccer, soccer or football, it's very cyclical.

• 46:44Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, and so now, now it feels like, you know, like, looking at Brobby as like, I think five, six years ago. That player is not on a squad anywhere.

• 46:52Speaker 01

  So he was endangered or even almost extinct, yes.

• 46:56Trevor Noah?

  And now, it looks like there's a space for him in every squad in the world. Even like a Giorcres.

• 47:01Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, yeah.

• 47:02Trevor Noah?

  There's like, there's space for like this big, fast, strong player. Who's gonna like cause chaos up top. It's one of the reasons I actually think Mbappe is only being saved by his pace. Not, I think Mbappe is one of the greatest players we'll ever see. I still think he should be playing on the left. In the middle, without his pace, he just gets like knocked off a little.

• 47:23Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 47:23Trevor Noah?

  Just, he gets knocked off balance. He just gets, he, he doesn't like, he, he's not a battering ram. You, you, you know what I mean?

• 47:29Speaker 01

  I was looking at, so for me, when I look at Sweden, because Sweden does, Sweden has gone back to that. First of all, Sweden uses two strikers, which is a rare.

• 47:36Trevor Noah?

  They, they shouldn't. I don't think they should. I don't know what you think of it. They shouldn't. I like the way Isak played on the left.

• 47:40Speaker 01

  No, but then, but then also Norway uses two strikers, Soloth and.

• 47:44Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but I feel like they're like they sort of have to.

• 47:46Speaker 01

  Hmm, okay. No, but I'm going like so when I.

• 47:49Trevor Noah?

  Sweden had nothing. It wasn't just, okay, let me put it this way. It wasn't about the two strikers. It was about the formation behind it.

• 47:54Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 47:54Trevor Noah?

  If you have two strikers, but then you play an attacking midfielder right behind them. So you're playing a four three one two. Your wings are so wide open. Gakpo and Dumfries are having the time of their lives.

• 48:05Speaker 01

  They're just overloaded.

• 48:06Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, because now your wings are just, and the game is on the wings most of the time anyways. So people are going around you. You know what I mean? You've built like a really strong front door with no walls.

• 48:14Speaker 01

  But that's what I'm thinking. That's why, that's why I'm very interested in how Sweden handles their last game. Because Graham Potter, in the game against the Dutch, he showed that he's no Harry Potter. But in the final game, in the final game, yeah, he's going to need to, like, with some magic men, because it will be very disappointing with a team that Elanga and Lucas Bagwell, with a team that talented.

• 48:34Trevor Noah?

  Why don't they start Elanga?

• 48:38Speaker 01

  His squad like goes for them, but I think maybe they, no, maybe, maybe here's what I'm thinking. With his raw pace. Graham Potter is going like, oh, I need him against tiring legs. That's the only.

• 48:48Trevor Noah?

  My friend, that makes no sense when you look at his record. Elanga is playing from minute one.

• 48:54Speaker 01

  He has.

• 48:55Trevor Noah?

  So here's, okay, here's what I mean.

• 48:56Speaker 01

  But sometimes, sometimes he runs head down. Sometimes there's a roadrunner quality to his game. Where you don't know what he's going to do next.

• 49:04Trevor Noah?

  Maybe I have a, I have a differing opinion here. I go. Bringing in impact players in those types of situations can work in your favor sometimes. I think what a lot of coaches take for granted is you might bring them in when you're down now. And now you're playing, and now you're playing against somebody who can afford to sit back and, and rob you of yards.

• 49:24Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 49:25Trevor Noah?

  So now this person gets to go, okay, Elanga's faster than me. I'm gonna stand ten, twenty yards further back. Let's move everything back. And rob him of space. But if you start Elanga and he's running from the very beginning. And we need to attack at the same time. We now have to choose, do we attack? Look at what PSG did, look at what PSG did to Arsenal. Bukayo Saka spent the whole game defending.

• 49:45Speaker 01

  Defending, yes.

• 49:46Trevor Noah?

  Because Kavaskeria on that, on that left wing.

• 49:49Speaker 01

  Was a constant menace, yes.

• 49:50Trevor Noah?

  So now Bukayo Saka, one of the best like wide players, doesn't get to do, play his trade. He spends sixty something minutes defending and then he comes off the ga- the field. That, that's what pace does from the very get go.

• 50:01Speaker 01

  And also I'll tell you, as someone who has played defensive positions, pace is scary. When you're playing against a player who you know in.

• 50:08Trevor Noah?

  Pace is terrible.

• 50:09Speaker 01

  Who you know in a footrace can beat you. It's like the worst.

• 50:12Trevor Noah?

  Because they just kick the ball and they run.

• 50:13Speaker 01

  Yes, cause like a player who dribbles, you go like, oh, maybe I'll touch the ball.

• 50:16Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 50:17Speaker 01

  When a player, cause also remember footresses are like the most natural, almost most alpha male. Like you, you think about when someone can beat in a.

• 50:26Trevor Noah?

  It is the most primitive competition.

• 50:28Speaker 01

  Yes, alias like, you know, primitive lizard brain. The goal he scored once, he's running through the middle, cause you know he's beating you. Like pace is not something you can, someone is either faster than you or not.

• 50:40Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, that's it.

• 50:40Speaker 01

  It's like very, yeah, no, so I'm very interested now to handle that.

• 50:43Trevor Noah?

  Okay, so we're looking forward to the Sweden game, that's gonna, that's gonna be a big game. Uh, Ger- Germany's games are done.

• 50:49Speaker 01

  I'm looking, I'm looking forward to the Egypt game as well. Uh, not because it could be Salah's last game if they don't make it, but also because Egypt for me has, you did ask me last week about my like most heartwarming moment.

• 51:01Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 51:02Speaker 01

  Oh, and I, I remember for me, I didn't say this, and I think I should have said this last week. For me, it's seeing the Egyptian coach on the bench, Hossam Hassan. He's a legend, he used to be the face of Egypt before Salah came along, he helped Egypt win most of those stars.

• 51:18Trevor Noah?

  Oh, I didn't know that.

• 51:18Speaker 01

  And now he's coaching at the World Cup, and he's coaching the guy who replaced him as the first.

• 51:23Trevor Noah?

  Oh, that's amazing, I didn't know that, yeah, I didn't know that.

• 51:26Speaker 01

  He was part of that team that had, you know, Mohamed Bou- Boutrika, Mohamed Barakat and all these legends. But seeing him at the, cause he never, he never got a chance to go to the World Cup. So imagine if Salah never got a chance to go to the World Cup. He kept winning all these Nations Cups, but for some reason or another, Egypt could never make it to the World Cup. And now he's at the World Cup, he's the coach, so I'm really looking forward to at least him making it to the knockout rounds. It would be like a beautiful, like way to bring his story all around. He's a legend of African football, so for me that was just watching him. It's like almost, remember when Maradona was coaching Messi?

• 52:00Trevor Noah?

  It was a weird, that was beautiful.

• 52:02Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, it's a beautiful, you see.

• 52:04Trevor Noah?

  It was dysfunctional, but it was beautiful.

• 52:05Speaker 01

  It was dysfunctional, yes. But like, it's almost like you see this person, it's like almost a passing of the torch.

• 52:10Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 52:10Speaker 01

  But like in a game, like not, not like outside the game.

• 52:14Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, actually actively in the game.

• 52:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, so I would really, I would really love for Osama San to make it to the knockout rounds. And also for Salah, like that would be a good send off.

• 52:23Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, man, we need, we need as many of them as possible. We need, um, what about your boy CR7? Do you think he's a?

• 52:32Speaker 01

  The funny thing is, I'm a huge admirer. And people might not, might find this hard to believe. I'm a huge admirer of Cristiano Ronaldo, the person. Cristiano Ronaldo, the human being.

• 52:42Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 52:42Speaker 01

  He's like a superlative human being. When you hear about the things he has done for charity. When you hear about the fact that doesn't have tattoos. Cause he likes donating blood. That's the reason he doesn't have tattoos. He's like a superlative, but then because he's a competitor, I think like. Cristiano Ronaldo, the competitor, Cristiano Ronaldo, the human being, especially when they come on the pitch.

• 53:02Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 53:03Speaker 01

  This is the reason why people call him Homelander. Cause I think Cristiano Ronaldo.

• 53:08Trevor Noah?

  Did you see that meme, by the way?

• 53:10Speaker 01

  It was like, it was like one for one. Yeah, no. So I feel like the competitor, it's almost like if someone has like an alter ego, you know, so like, uh.

• 53:17Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 53:17Speaker 01

  Yeah, like, you know, Clark, Clark Kent and Superman and Bruce Wayne and Batman. But then if Batman takes over. Cause the thing that makes Superman very human is Clark Kent.

• 53:26Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 53:26Speaker 01

  The thing that makes Batman human is Bruce Wayne. So I feel like with Cristiano Ronaldo. The alter ego sometimes takes over when he's, actually most times takes over when he's on the pitch. And so what happened in the first game was, of course, it no longer has the legs. So he's no longer as mobile as he should be.

• 53:43Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 53:44Speaker 01

  The midfield can't feed you if you're not making runs in behind. The midfield can't feed you, however superlative that midfield is. Bruno Fernandes, Yawon Neves, Vitinha, they can't feed you if everyone you're making, you're in an offside position. So they spent most of the time, despite having eighty percent of the possession, just passing sideways. And then what happened was after the game, they asked you, oh, Neves, Cristiano Ronaldo, and he said something that I thought was diplomatic.

• 54:09Trevor Noah?

  I actually thought it was diplomatic as well, yeah.

• 54:10Speaker 01

  Yeah, but because you went like, oh, he's just another player, because you don't want to heap pressure on Ronaldo, to go like, oh, he's our only hope. He's our Prince and Slayer, please save us. No, you want like, no, he's just, he's just one of us, we have to deliver. Ronaldo fans didn't take it like that. And remember, your own Neves had scored the goal that spared their brushes. They have been flooding his Instagram. Comments were coming in, a hundred comments of hate per minute. They didn't just do that, they went and flooded.

• 54:37Trevor Noah?

  His girlfriends, yeah, yeah.

• 54:37Speaker 01

  His girlfriends. And they're doing that to Bruno Fernandes, they're doing it to Yawo Neves, they're doing it to Vitinha. And they also are doing it to, you won't believe this, and this is going to hurt you, they're doing it to the Liverpool player. I don't even know whether I should say his name.

• 54:52Trevor Noah?

  Who?

• 54:53Speaker 01

  Who passed away.

• 54:55Trevor Noah?

  They're doing it to Diego Jota?

• 54:56Speaker 01

  That's it, yeah. They're going to his comments and they're leaving comments. No, I know, it's, it's, and some people, so they, they even, they're coming to Neves's Instagram and saying, it should have been you.

• 55:07Trevor Noah?

  Geez.

• 55:08Speaker 01

  Instead of Jota, it should have been, that's what I'm saying, I didn't even know.

• 55:10Trevor Noah?

  That's the, that's like the, that's, that's the downside of football is like, the fans, yeah, the fans get so, you know?

• 55:17Speaker 01

  Because I went like, should I bring up Diogo Jota? Because it's, you don't want to bring him up in these circumstances.

• 55:21Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, but it is like the.

• 55:23Speaker 01

  They're flooding. And so I'm thinking, I'm thinking, how is that affecting, how is that affecting the chemistry?

• 55:28Trevor Noah?

  That's what I was wondering. I was like, does this, is this one of those moments where you hope a coach can like shut the whole thing down and say, team, we have to do this? Or does it put too much pressure on Portugal now?

• 55:36Speaker 01

  It puts so much pressure because now they're going to be watching every pass.

• 55:38Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, now they're like playing for a nation, by the way.

• 55:40Speaker 01

  Yes, either you pass Ronaldo or you know what's going to happen off the pitch. But also I'm going like, these players these days are online constantly.

• 55:48Trevor Noah?

  They are.

• 55:48Speaker 01

  So they're seeing all this. And for me, I'm just thinking, how does Roberto Martinez?

• 55:52Trevor Noah?

  You know what also people forget is, in footballing nations, there's also like a strange entitlement that fans have. Where like footballers will talk about. How they can't go to the grocery store, their families can't go out.

• 56:08Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 56:08Trevor Noah?

  Because people go to their families or them in public and curse them out.

• 56:12Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 56:13Trevor Noah?

  For their performances.

• 56:14Speaker 01

  It's not just footballers. I think Arsene Wenger did talk about he can't pick. Coaches have talked about not being able to pick their kids from school because a parent comes up to you.

• 56:24Trevor Noah?

  But that, but you see, I don't, I don't, I don't hear, maybe it happens and I don't hear, but I don't hear stories like, like that in American sports.

• 56:30Speaker 01

  Americans are very good, I think, at sometimes.

• 56:32Trevor Noah?

  They go like you're trash.

• 56:33Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 56:34Trevor Noah?

  But I don't see them.

• 56:35Speaker 01

  Your kid, yes.

• 56:35Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, I don't see them, I don't see stories like that.

• 56:38Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 56:39Trevor Noah?

  And like, that's the one thing about football where it's like.

• 56:42Speaker 01

  It's very intense.

• 56:43Trevor Noah?

  The weight of a nation.

• 56:44Speaker 01

  Hmm.

• 56:44Trevor Noah?

  Is not born easily.

• 56:46Speaker 01

  Hmm, hmm.

• 56:46Trevor Noah?

  You know what I mean? Like, literally, carrying the weight of your nation is one that's, yo, man, it's no joke.

• 56:52Speaker 01

  So now I'm just thinking about how toxic that is for the, because now Portugal, the same way you said Spain.

• 56:57Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 56:57Speaker 01

  The same way you said the Dutch, Portugal really needs to win its next game.

• 57:01Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, they do.

• 57:02Speaker 01

  They really cannot afford not to, because the pressure is only going to intensify.

• 57:06Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 57:07Speaker 01

  And some person saying, and I'm one of those people, you're one of those people who are saying, maybe Ronaldo should be taking on a lesser role. Maybe should go from being, you know, the, you know, you know, when they go like, oh.

• 57:17Trevor Noah?

  Be a cheerleader.

• 57:18Speaker 01

  Yes, the lead name on the poster, maybe should be a supporting character. Because also when you think about the major trophy, the one major trophy Portugal has won, Ronaldo was forced off by injury.

• 57:29Trevor Noah?

  He was.

• 57:30Speaker 01

  And he spent the entire final against France, Euro two thousand and six, he spent, rather, Euro twenty sixteen, he spent the whole final cheerleading from the bench. And who scored the goal? Edéa. No one knows him, no one knew him before, no one knows what happened to him after.

• 57:44Trevor Noah?

  Yeah.

• 57:44Speaker 01

  But guess what? Ronaldo was a European champion. So by that time, he was forced by injury to go off the pitch.

• 57:51Trevor Noah?

  So what you're saying is someone, someone in the Portuguese TV is to slide tackle Ronaldo in the change room.

• 57:55Speaker 01

  No, their family will be.

• 57:56Trevor Noah?

  Make something happen, make something happen.

• 57:58Speaker 01

  Your family home would be firebombed.

• 58:00Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, you'd be gone, you'd be deported from your home country.

• 58:02Speaker 01

  No, it would be, yeah.

• 58:02Trevor Noah?

  All right, well, this has been it. Another week of the World Cup, another exciting one.

• 58:07Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 58:07Trevor Noah?

  It's gonna be fire, man.

• 58:08Speaker 01

  No, no, I, I can't wait because normally it would be like two more weeks to go now because normally the World Cup.

• 58:13Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, now, now it's done.

• 58:15Speaker 01

  Yes, now we have like four more weeks.

• 58:16Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, we're not even, pace yourself.

• 58:18Speaker 01

  Hmm, pace yourself.

• 58:18Trevor Noah?

  I tell everybody who's watching the World Cup now, I'm like, pace yourself. This is the longest World Cup we've ever had. This is the most packed World Cup we've ever had. Pace yourself. Don't get too angry, don't get too happy. Unless you're Turkish. Unless you're Turkish.

• 58:33Speaker 01

  The Turkish fans have every reason to be angry.

• 58:34Trevor Noah?

  You can go crazy, but otherwise, enjoy it.

• 58:36Speaker 01

  I'll say this, the reason I am enjoying also the fact that we have four more weeks is, you know, our watch party is, you know, we've built, we've built a community actually. It really feels like a family. And then every week that passes, because you keep reading out certain names.

• 58:48Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 58:48Speaker 01

  And I think every week that passes feels like, oh, we're getting to know more.

• 58:52Trevor Noah?

  Yeah, we're building, it's like a little, it's a little village.

• 58:54Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, it's really, it's really beautiful. And I don't know where four weeks are going to take us. Maybe we're going to be meeting this, because it feels like now we are dating, you know, but we're not meeting. You know, you're dating, but I don't trust you yet to meet my friends, but maybe four weeks from now. Who knows?

• 59:09Trevor Noah?

  You never know, you never know, we'll see how it goes. But sure, this was fun, man, as always, my friend.

• 59:12Speaker 01

  Brother, a pleasure. I just said the fact that I had to agree with you at some point, but.

• 59:16Trevor Noah?

  Ah, man, you know, as Gianni Infantino says, "The World Cup brings people together who never imagined they could be together." And even Joe and Trevor can agree sometimes because of the World Cup.

• 59:32Speaker 01

  No, it's beautiful, man, it's beautiful. I'm looking forward to more of these, man.

• 59:40Trevor Noah?

  Thank you again so much to the sponsor of today's episode, Mazda. Mazda delivers confidence and control in every single drive. And Consumer Reports' safest new car brand award proves it. You know, there's a phrase I really like. "A lot can happen when an accident doesn't."

• 1:00:02Trevor Noah?

  And that's true. A calm drive home, a conversation that continues, a trip that stays exactly what it was supposed to be.

• 1:00:12Trevor Noah?

  That's what we're looking for. Mazda has been named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand in America. Mazda's safety features are designed to bring more enjoyment to every drive, not to take away from it, so you can do what you feel like doing. Mazda has been named Consumer Reports' safest new car brand, people, safest. Visit MazdaUSA.com to learn more. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services.

• 1:00:44Trevor Noah?

  What Now World Cup bonus episodes are produced by Day Zero Productions in partnership with Sirius XM. Executive produced by Trevor Noah, Sanaz Yamin, Ryan Harduth and Rebecca Shane. Music, mixing and mastering by Hannes Brown. Thank you so much for listening. Join us every Monday during the World Cup for bonus episodes of What Now with Trevor Noah.

• 1:01:16Trevor Noah?

  Subtitles by the Amara.org community