Ahead Of The Game

Ahead Of The Game

It’s been 36 years since Canada played in a men’s FIFA World Cup tournament. This November, they’re back on soccer’s biggest stage. What did it take to get to this point? Who made it happen? And what are they up against? Introducing Ahead Of The Game, a brand new sports podcast from The Globe and Mail, which follows Canada’s journey into the World Cup in Qatar and the tournament as a whole. Join hosts John Doyle, Globe and Mail columnist and soccer writer, and soccer journalist Sonja Missio throughout the tournament as they speak to former players, experts on and off the field, fans and fanatics, to cover every angle of Qatar 2022; from great goals and must-see matches to bitter failure and brilliant triumphs.

Episodes

December 18, 2022 19 mins

Argentina are world champions after one of the most thrilling games in World Cup history, which saw them beat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw. In our final episode, we’re looking at the rollercoaster victory and reflect on Qatar 2022 as a whole. Plus, we look ahead to the World Cup in 2026  and the next four years of Canadian soccer.

Mark as Played

With Argentina knocking out Croatia 3-0 and France beating Morocco 2-0, the two heavyweight teams are set to faceoff on Dec 18. for the World Cup final. The stakes are high: France is going for its second World Cup win in a row, while Argentina’s Lionel Messi is vying to finally win a World Cup, and in what will be his last tournament. John and Sonja break down how each team and their star players are looking and who they think wil...

Mark as Played

How quickly things change at a World Cup. A few days ago, hosts John and Sonja were talking about how the tournament was unfolding rather conventionally. Now, Croatia has knocked out Brazil and Morocco beat Portugal to advance to the semi-finals. We delve into the dramatic upsets of the quarter-finals and look ahead to what to expect from the upcoming semi-finals. Plus, Sonja speaks to Shireen Ahmed, a senior contributor for CBC sp...

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Since 1990, four out of the eight winners of the World Cup have won a penalty shootout on their road to victory at the tournament. And as we’ve seen, in this World Cup, it has the ability to make or break a team’s progression. Spain has now been eliminated from four World Cups after penalty shootouts - its most recent against Morocco this tournament. In this episode, we’re talking about how much penalty taking matters as a skill on...

Mark as Played

As the World Cup group stage wraps, 16 teams move on and 16 are heading home, including Canada. John and Sonja break down Canada’s 2-1 loss to Morocco in their final game of the tournament and the future of our National Men’s program ahead of the next World Cup, which Canada co-hosts in 2026. Plus, John speaks to soccer journalist Eoin O’Callaghan about how various teams - from Brazil to England - are faring at this tournament and ...

Mark as Played

Despite an early goal by Alphonso Davies, Canada lost to Croatia by 4-1, making them the second team to be eliminated from the World Cup. In this episode, Sonja Missio and John Doyle break down the devastating loss and what went wrong, as well as how their final match against Morocco could decide the outcome for the rest of the group.  Plus, Sonja speaks to The Globe’s sports columnist Cathal Kelly, who is on the ground in Qatar, a...

Mark as Played

The FIFA World Cup tournament officially kicked off earlier this week and hosts John Doyle and Sonja Missio have lots to talk about this episode,  starting with Canada’s bitter 1-0 loss to Belgium and Alphonso Davies’ missed penalty shot. Former Canadian national team star Diana Matheson joins us to break down Canada’s performance in their first game and what their strategy might be going forward. Plus, John and Sonja delve into ot...

Mark as Played
The FIFA World Cup tournament kicks off in just under a week with Team Canada playing its first match on November 23. Think of this episode as a primer for everything you need to know before the tournament starts, whether you’re a casual fan or live for the game. Plus, John Doyle speaks to Camila Gonzalez, TLN host and the producer of the compelling new documentary Heart of Goal: The Rise of Canadian Soccer, about Canada’s road to ...
Mark as Played
October 27, 2022 1 min
It’s been 36 years since Canada played in a men’s World Cup tournament. This November, they’re back on soccer’s biggest stage: The FIFA World Cup tournament. What did it take to get to this point? Who made it happen? And what are they up against? Introducing Ahead Of The Game, a brand new sports podcast from The Globe and Mail, which follows Canada’s journey into the World Cup in Qatar and the tournament as a whole. Join hosts Joh...
Mark as Played

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