Why this could be a World Cup for the underdogs

FootballSports
15 May 2026 • 7:45 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Why this could be a World Cup for the underdogs

As more big players struggle with injury, and World Cup set-pieces are expected to be refereed in a completely different way to the Premier League, a few international managers are already adapting plans.

In the latest episode of Copa Independent, Miguel Delaney, Lawrence Ostlere, and Adam Clery discuss THE question: how do you win a World Cup? Can you "playbook" it, as Gareth Southgate tried? Do you need an ideology, as Spain has? How influential are conditions – was Brazil 1970 only so good because no one could press in Mexican midday heat?

For more World Cup analysis, tune in to Copa Independent – it won’t just get you feeling the World Cup, but thinking about it, too. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.