With the World Cup kicking off in Qatar on Sunday, there’s no better time to start brushing up on your football knowledge.
With plenty of suitable podcasts available, including some hosted by famous names and former players, whether you want to listen to up-to-date chats about matches and signings, are looking to dive into the history of the sport or prefer to get all of the dressing room gossip straight from the horse’s (former England international Peter Crouch's) mouth, there’s one for you.
1. After the Whistle
In time for the World Cup, Apple has launched a new podcast hosted by Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard in the hit show, and NBC Sports’ Rebecca Lowe.
Created to provide an “an entertaining and informative take” on all the action from Qatar, the podcast will go live on Thursday.
Several episodes will be released weekly, with Hunt and Lowe providing post-match analysis and opinions. Expect plenty of drama when Hunt's USA face off against Lowe's England next Friday.
2. Fifa PlayOn Podcast
Fifa’s podcast is the place to find interviews with footballing legends, expert analysis and a deep dive into some of the beautiful game’s most famous (and infamous) moments.
Hosted by former England women’s footballer and pundit Eniola Aluko and Spanish-German singer-songwriter Alvaro Soler, the pair discuss all things football, adding a musical slant as A-list guests not only reminisce on their time on the pitch, but also on their favourite music moments, players and goals from past World Cups.
3. Football Weekly
As the name suggests, this podcast from UK newspaper The Guardian keeps listeners up to date with everything that’s going on in the world of football.
Hosted by presenter Max Rushden and featuring a rolling rota of journalists, sports reporters and footballers, the podcast has been running since 2006.
The most recent episode focuses on the recently named World Cup squads, while weekly offerings look at what’s going on in English football as well as abroad, including Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga.
4. Sporting Jibberish
Selling itself as “two amateur, avid and ageing sports enthusiasts discussing and debating their sporting ‘knowledge’. But what do we know?”, this podcast is made by two UAE residents and covers and array of sports, but with a focus on football.
Covering the weekly goings on in the Premier League, hosts Stuart and Jack discuss transfers, match results and the latest news with a heavy slant on their “beloved Liverpool and Spurs”.
5. That Peter Crouch Podcast
The former England player launched his eponymous podcast with co-host Chris Stark in 2018 and it’s now in its eighth season.
For tidbits and bon mots, they don’t come more insider than Peter Crouch revealing “what goes on in a dressing room full of millionaire footballers” or finding out “what really happens on a Premier League substitutes’ bench”.
Thanks to his 42 England caps and years spent playing for Tottenham, Aston Villa and Liverpool among others, Crouch is perfectly placed to share his experiences and welcoming famous faces into the studio.
6. The Forgotten XI
While men’s football has dominated for centuries, women’s football has enjoyed a global surge in popularity over the past decade.
This podcast hosted by Chris McGlynn follows the history of women’s involvement in the game from the 1800s all the way up to current stars such as the USA’s Megan Rapinoe and England captain Leah Williams.
McGlynn not only serves up fascinating episodes on the English FA’s ban on women’s football and what happened to Afghanistan’s women’s team, he doesn't avoid the inescapable politics involved in women’s sport.
7. Soccernostalgia Talk Podcast
If you like your sports podcasts to come in five-course meal sizes as opposed to short bite-sized chunks then this offering from Shahan Petrossian (the "soccer" fan) and Paul Whittle (the "football" fan) is for you.
The pair hail from opposite sides of the pond and host guests including authors and journalists. They shoot the breeze on anything from the Denmark team during the 1979/80 season to the history of the game in Colombia.
8. Caught Offside
Former ESPN pundits Andrew Gundling and JJ Devaney have been hosting their podcast since 2014, recently moving from the sports network to Acast.
The pair round up all the news you might have missed or want to dig deeper into from the international leagues, World Cup and Major League Soccer.
Delving into the big matches, they also discuss VAR, the Super League controversy and debate the strengths and weaknesses as nations unveil their World Cup squads.
Scroll through the gallery below to see football fans arriving in Qatar ahead of the World Cup
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
