{"podcast":{"title":"In Focus by The Hindu","slug":"in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346","podcast_index_feed_id":421346,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/THGU4956605070","website_url":"https://www.thehindu.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/9e58a93a-ab36-11ec-8428-3f3370f316e0/image/716085c49f9a7b0412f1144186014fea.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"The Hindu","episode_count":1349,"summary":"A podcast from The Hindu that delves deep into current developments with subject experts, and brings in context, history, perspective and analysis.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:51.428428+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346"},"episode":{"title":"In Focus-Parley | Has the 48-team World Cup made the tournament better?","slug":"in-focus-parley-has-the-48-team-world-cup-made-the-tournament-better","published_at":"2026-07-02T13:11:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346/in-focus-parley-has-the-48-team-world-cup-made-the-tournament-better","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/THGU2332549194.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/THGU2332549194.mp3","summary":"In January 2017, when FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 teams, starting with the 2026 edition, there were mixed feelings. Many welcomed the move, arguing that the flagship event of the planet’s most popular sport should have more than just 32 outfits. But there was criticism too, for many felt that the increase would dilute the quality of football. What does evidence from the ongoing World Cup in North America say? Here we discuss the question. Guests: Pradhyum Reddy and Lallianzuala Chhangte Host: N. Sudarshan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"In January 2017, when FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48 teams, starting with the 2026 edition, there were mixed feelings. Many welcomed the move, arguing…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1634,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346/episodes/in-focus-parley-has-the-48-team-world-cup-made-the-tournament-better/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/in-focus-by-the-hindu-421346/in-focus-parley-has-the-48-team-world-cup-made-the-tournament-better.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}