The World Cup is nearly here and this week on Copa Independent, the team discuss the tournament favourites, the dark horses and, erm, Scotland, as well as how politics and money have created a World Cup like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

Will Carlo Ancelotti deliver a record sixth World Cup for Brazil? Is Spain’s midfield the best at the tournament? How far can England go? And could a side like Ecuador or Norway go all the way?

Plus trivia on World Cup records, and it’s time to pick the striker in Copa Independent’s all-time World Cup XI.

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The World Cup is nearly here, and we’re counting down the best of all time. This week a panel of Independent journalists have voted on their greatest stars.

From Pele and Messi to Maradona and Beckenbauer, with a sprinkling of Zidane, Mbappe and Ronaldo in the mix, these are the players who have lit up the “greatest show on earth” over the past 96 years.

Independent sports writers Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Kieran Jackson discuss the controversial name in the top 10, why Cristiano Ronaldo was overlooked, and why our No 1 pick just had to top the list.

See the full list of the top 50 World Cup players here https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-50-greatest-players-pele-maradona-messi-zidane-ronaldo-b2984529.html

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Miguel Delaney and Lawrence Ostlere were at Wembley to see Thomas Tuchel explain his England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

They chew over the big-name omissions and why Tuchel didn’t pick Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold – and how Ivan Toney mysteriously returned to the conversation this week.

Miguel also discusses his intimate briefing with the England manager. And, under severe pressure from a diligent Wembley security chap, they even find time to pick one more player for Copa Independent’s all-time World Cup XI.

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As more big players struggle with injury, and there is now an expectation that set-pieces at the World Cup will be refereed in a completely different way to the Premier League, a few international managers are already adapting plans. Which begs a bigger question: what is the best way to win a World Cup?

Are there set approaches? Can you "playbook" it, as Gareth Southgate tried? Do you need an ideology, as Spain have? Are properly world-class attackers essential? Can you still hide away a winning system for a year in the way Sir Alf Ramsey and Carlos Bilardo did? How influential are conditions? Were Brazil 1970 only so good because no one could press in Mexican midday heat?

We get into all of this and more in the latest Copa Independent podcast, with Miguel Delaney, Lawrence Ostlere and - making his debut - Adam Clery.

Don’t forget the special World Cup nostalgia segments in stoppage time, extra time and penalties either, where we decide on the best historic feature of each tournament. This week: the greatest World Cup ad, the next addition to our all-time tournament XI – the big one, the number-10 playmaker – and, of course, some trivia questions.

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Fourteen men have managed the England men’s team since Sir Alf Ramsey won the World Cup in 1966, and none have come close to repeating the feat. Under high expectation, intense scrutiny and crippling pressure, a series of England managers have been hounded, humiliated, abused and, in Sam Allardyce’s case, stung by a ruthless media. No wonder Graham Taylor called it “the impossible job”.

In this week’s episode of “Copa Independent” – The Independent’s new World Cup podcast – chief sports writer Lawrence Ostlere is joined by chief football writer Miguel Delaney and senior sports writer Kieran Jackson to discuss what it takes to be the England manager, why it’s so “impossible” and whether a foreign coach like Thomas Tuchel is the answer.

The episode also features a debate on our all-time World Cup XI, as they attempt to select a central midfielder to play alongside German great Lothar Matthaus, with plenty of disagreement before eventually settling on a player who has never won the World Cup.

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As the World Cup returns to America, it would not have been possible without the spectacular success of USA 94.

That was actually a huge gamble at the time, but more than paid off - in multiple ways. A colourfully open tournament was the consequence of unique factors coming together at once, but also changed the World Cup for the future.

A tournament full of soul had an immense commercial legacy - right up to the Glazers taking over Manchester United.

We discuss that and so much more from a tournament packed with storylines and moments, like whether Brazil were actually good winners, whether Baggio’s legacy has been enhanced by that miss and if a World Cup is better without England.

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Since England won the World Cup in 1966, they have not been back to another men’s final, appearing in only two semi-finals in 1990 and 2018 in their closest attempts at repeating the feat.

So, as the 2026 World Cup approaches, on the 60th anniversary of that famous Wembley win, should England have won more tournaments with the talent and resources at their disposal? And can Thomas Tuchel finally end the wait this summer?

In the second episode of The Independent’s World Cup podcast, sports writers Lawrence Ostlere, Miguel Delaney and Kieran Jackson discuss which past tournaments England could have won, why they’ve underdelivered and whether the neurosis of 60 years of hurt can ever be overcome.

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