{"podcast":{"title":"Good Seats Still Available","slug":"good-seats-still-available-7112953","podcast_index_feed_id":7112953,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/94536/rss","website_url":"https://goodseatsstillavailable.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/b/4/1/6/b41635f05a074b29/GSSA_1400.jpg","author":"Tim Hanlon","episode_count":492,"summary":"\"Good Seats Still Available\" is a curious little podcast devoted to the exploration of what used-to-be in professional sports. Each week, host Tim Hanlon interviews former players, owners, broadcasters, beat reporters, and surprisingly famous \"super fans\" of teams and leagues that have come and gone - in an attempt to unearth some of the most wild and woolly moments in (often forgotten) sports history.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T08:17:26.986283+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953"},"episode":{"title":"437: World Cup History & What's Ahead - With Clemente Lisi","slug":"437-world-cup-history-what-s-ahead-with-clemente-lisi","published_at":"2026-03-15T23:03:20+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953/437-world-cup-history-what-s-ahead-with-clemente-lisi","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953","url":"https://goodseatsstillavailable.libsyn.com/placeholder-372","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/goodseatsstillavailable/GSSA_437.mp3?dest-id=480273","summary":"This week, we dive into the remarkable history — and uncertain future — of soccer's greatest spectacle: the FIFA World Cup . Our guest is veteran journalist and soccer author Clemente Lisi , whose newly updated (and eminently essential!) book, \" The World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition ,\" chronicles the tournament's extraordinary evolution from its modest beginnings in 1930 to the globe-spanning mega-event it is today. Drawing on decades of reporting and interviews, Lisi revisits some of the competition's most iconic matches, legendary players, and defining moments — from Pelé and Diego Maradona to the modern era of global superstars — that helped transform the World Cup into the most widely watched sporting event on the planet. But the conversation doesn't stop with history. With the 2026 edition — expanded to 48 teams for the first time — set to be hosted across the United States , Canada , and Mexico , we also explore whether the tournament could face unexpected headwinds. Sky-high ticket prices have already sparked backlash from fans and even US lawmakers -- while debates over immigration policy, visa access for international supporters, and rising infrastructure costs for host cities could complicate what should be a global celebration. Will the largest World Cup ever staged ignite a new era for soccer in North America — or expose the growing tensions between the sport's worldwide popularity and the economics of modern mega-events? We explore the past, present, and future scenarios of the World Cup in a wide-ranging conversation with one of the sport's most thoughtful chroniclers. + + + SUPPORT THE SHOW: Buy Us a Coffee : https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable The \"Good Seats\" Store : http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY BUY THE B…","meta_description":"This week, we dive into the remarkable history — and uncertain future — of soccer's greatest spectacle: the FIFA World Cup . Our guest is veteran journali…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5596,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/good-seats-still-available-7112953/episodes/437-world-cup-history-what-s-ahead-with-clemente-lisi/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/good-seats-still-available-7112953/437-world-cup-history-what-s-ahead-with-clemente-lisi.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}