The World Cup Story, Part 2: Too Big To Fail
The World Cup Story, Part 2: Too Big To Fail  
Podcast: The Journal.
Published On: Sun Jun 14 2026
Description: As the World Cup begins, we bring you a two-part Sunday special charting how FIFA built the World Cup into a global phenomenon. In Part 2, WSJ sports journalists Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson explore FIFA under its current president Gianni Infantino and how he has maximized revenue for FIFA by exploiting new markets for soccer in the Arab world and the U.S. at the expense of the sport’s longstanding fanbase. Ryan Knutson hosts. Further Listening: - The World Cup Story, Part 1: Soccer and Scandal Sign up for WSJ’s free Sports newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices