Episode
Why Is China Bad at Soccer?
- Podcast
- The Jacob Shapiro Podcast
- Published
- Jul 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4280
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://jacobshapiro.com/podcasts/why-is-china-bad-at-soccer
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Summary
Jacob grabs Chris Branch, senior writer at The Athletic and author of The Pulse, to talk about the World Cup as geopolitics. They cover Trump's red-card intervention and the Balogun controversy, England-Argentina and the ghost of the Falklands, why sports and politics were never actually separate, and why China and India can barely qualify while Cape Verde runs wild. Plus: whether soccer ever truly takes hold in America, and why it might take a billionaire treating the sport like a Carnegie library to make it happen. -- Timestamps: (00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro (01:41) - In-Person Catch-Up (02:40) - Meet Chris Branch (03:28) - Why This World Cup Hit Different (05:09) - Sports Writing Meets Politics (07:11) - Fan Culture and National Rivalries (10:24) - FIFA Corruption and New Fans (14:03) - Picking a Premier League Team (15:16) - Can Soccer Catch On in America (17:49) - Why MLS Struggles (21:55) - Pay-to-Play and US Development (29:22) - Women’s Soccer and Global Gaps (33:47) - Trump, FIFA, and the Balogun Saga (35:29) - Red Card Controversy (36:25) - Iran Match Bad Karma (37:37) - Play Anyway Debate (42:22) - Sports as Common Ground (44:37) - Stars Politics and Fandom (56:10) - Money Youth Sports Future (01:04:53) - Closing Stories and Wrap -- Referenced in the Show: The Pulse - https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/newsletters/the-pulse/ -- Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com Jacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416 Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap Jacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe -- The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com -- Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history,…