The World Cup Is Officially Over: Reporting Live From MetLife Stadium 

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1:22This is the business of soccer. Soccer is absolutely mainstream. It's no longer underground or niche. When are American sports fans going to fall in love with this global game? Professional women's soccer in the U.S. is one of the most exciting sports in all of North America right now. Soccer is an incredibly accessible sport. Very high ROI to achieve health outcomes and positive community outcomes. The World Cup may leave, but soccer culture and world-class soccer is here. to stay and it's something we're super proud of. Bloomberg Business of Soccer from Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to an extra special version of the Bloomberg Business of Sports coming to you from Pet Life Stadium minutes after the final whistle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

2:10I am Vanessa Portable Maglione and I am Miranda Williams. This World Cup is officially over. In Spain are the world champions winning one nil in extra time over argentina i first of all just i can't believe it's over it hasn't hit me at randall but first first off for you i mean when they said that spain was dominant witnessing that for the first time after going to i think five or six matches i did not realize just how dominant they were but to see it in person was completely different It's truly like the most pure version of football, of soccer. Like I grew up on this style of soccer. I was taught how to play.

2:49It's just, it's beautiful. It really is the fight. They call it a beautiful game. They played amazing. But I'm honestly, I was surprised they didn't score earlier. Yeah, I think Spain deserved to win. I mean, Argentina for, I want to say 60, maybe 90 minutes, did not have a shot on goal and then were pressured. This sort of reminded me or the Argentina team reminded me of the Kansas City Chiefs of 2025 when they were surviving on the edge for much of the regular season. And then they went to the Super Bowl and ended up getting shellacked by the Philadelphia Eagles. And the reason for that is because, you know, you think of Argentina's journey throughout the tournament.

3:243-2 versus Cape Verde, 3-1 versus Switzerland, 2-1 versus England, but all surviving on the edge, often going to extra time. And so I think that Spain came in, they controlled much of the possession. Sometimes it didn't feel like Argentina was even playing. Yeah, I agree with that. And like you said, everyone thought their side of the bracket was a lot easier than Spain's side of the bracket. They had to go through so many different people. Spain had to go through France. But England had to go – I mean, Argentina had to go through England, and those games were so hardly fought. Everyone thought they were going to demolish everyone else they came against.

4:01and it just showed they had resilience, but it didn't show the talent wasn't really coming through, even though they had a really talented team. It just wasn't coming through in the way that you were going to expect it to. So Spain really, I feel like, just dominated. So this is, you said, your fifth or sixth game. Tell us about, tell the people about this ambiance compared to every other game you've been in. We should talk about the Lions first, but I'll save that I'll save that complaint for later Argentina's fans were second to none I mean I witnessed Brazil France Norway Sweden Morocco but Argentina filled the stadium I mean it was 85 15 maybe I would probably say it's 90 10 and they were singing on the New Jersey transit they were singing all throughout the city and so you're right singing in the press box which is not normal for a press box oftentimes there are gasps there are oh my gosh but to hear people clap and and sing and cheer is different but i'm thankful for the experience ultimately because this is not something you see at an nfl game it's really not something you see at an nba game and it was beautiful do you think that from people you've spoken to or to people you saw walking around like on the concourse and stuff that all the people in argentina jerseys they weren't not Everyone was Argentinian, and that was very clear walking around.

5:26Do you think they bought last-minute jerseys just because, or do you think that they followed the bandwagon, or that they are Argentina or Messi fans? I think that Lionel Messi has galvanized fans in a way that few stars really have in recent years. You think about the most iconic stars really over the last 10 years. LeBron won in 2020. He's one of the most popular athletes and people on the planet. In baseball, Shohei Ohtani as well. But if you remember Shohei Otani is not the person who won the Dodgers game seven. And I think Lionel Messi probably has the greatest game of anybody that's not named Kylian Mbappe in that 2022 World Cup final.

6:03You follow that up with a 2024 Copa America win. And he was riding high until today. And I think that brand of Argentina, of Lionel Messi and then him coming to America and playing for Inter-Miami, it just when a superstar arrives, they bring so much shine. And I think that everybody wants to be in the limelight. Everybody wants to have a jersey, whether it's real, whether it's authentic, whether it's fake. Everybody just wants to wear that blue and white. But I think that's going to change now that Spain and Laminio Mall have emerged victorious. I was going to ask you about that as well, because obviously that was the other big conversation here was, you know, was Messi versus Laminio Mall.

6:39The go going out with the young star coming in. You had a great game today. Yeah. How do you think what do you think this did for his career going forward? Well, I think it's really interesting because if you think of Kylian Mbappe, he was in a similar position in 2018 where it was his coming out party. And, you know, he had an incredible 2022 and this year was obviously disappointing for him. But Laminia Mall is in a similar position. I think Barcelona is formidable in not only the La Liga, but also in the Champions League. And he's he's peaking right now, but it's only a matter of time before he continues to grow.

7:15I believe he finished second in the Ballon d 'Or race. And so if he continues on his current streak, he's going to be a star that I would say is going to rival LeBron James in terms of global fandom around the world. Wow, that's really interesting. How long do you think? I mean, because I mean, with football players, it's very different. Their global prowess. Sure. I think he has five years, five, six years. Like 19 is very young. And you have to think he did this in America, which I also don't necessarily believe that this was his best tournament. Like he was coming off an injury. He scored, I believe, once.

7:51But, you know, Americans are going to want to see him play. They're going to want to see, oh, Laminia Mall, that's the kid. And I think that that goes a long way. And, you know, he's signed with Adidas. Adidas is essentially passing the torch from Lionel Messi to Lamin-Yamal, and he's going to make a lot of money. Yeah, I really think it's interesting bringing up the U.S. market in that perspective because he's already starting the global game. I think we've seen so many global stars come here that if you knew soccer, you would know them, and maybe you would just kind of know who they were, Kylian Mbappe being one of them.

8:25Erling Haaland probably being the biggest example of that. He's huge. I mean, he plays for Manchester City. They do not lose. Yeah. But he came here and America fell in love with this guy. And they were like, who is this person? Right. And I think Laminya Mall's coming out party, he has so many. His next World Cup will be when he's 22 or 23. His one after – He's going to be home. Right. His one after that will be when he's 27. His one after that will be when he's – so there are many, many more moments for him. And ultimately, I think if you're him and he's walking around the street and he's being – Fans are coming up to him right now.

8:58Just imagine what it's going to be after he wins the Champions League, after he wins Ballon d 'Or. Another thing that I would say that is really a difference between him and Messi is Lamin Amal talks a lot of junk, and Americans love that. I think different cultures feel differently, but it does go a long way. You think of what Conor McGregor did for the UFC and just his flamboyancy, and Lamin Amal posting before they played France an Instagram picture that was talking junk to the team and then coming out and Spain beats them. That only grows your legacy, even if you don't have the best performance because you are a part of the championship winning team.

9:34So he's yet to reach his peak and I'm excited to see where it goes next. It makes me think of what we've been talking about a lot in the NBA about getting the face of the league and being someone who wants it. We talked a lot about it being a polio bitch for a while, but everyone knows he doesn't care. He doesn't want it. He wants to play with his horses and do whatever he wants to do. so it feels like messy was similar in that way he doesn't really talk to the media yeah he's not really out there doing a ton he does do commercials because he doesn't say yes to that you're right commercial success but he doesn't have any interest in being the face of full of football he just he he really reminds me of Michael Jordan in a sense of like he does what he wants he does what he wants he has an adidas deal and when he shows up and does an interview you pay attention but oftentimes times it's like, oh, that's the goat.

10:21And I think you hear the way that other players speak about him. And that is a testament to his greatness. It often tells his tale. So he doesn't even have to speak it for himself. And, but at the same time, you also wonder, would the Messi-Ronaldo debate still be happening if, you know, Lionel Messi had talked junk after he won the 2022 world cup? I'm not so sure because of the fact that when you toot your own horn, sometimes like it brings out the loudest and that's just not his style. But if Laminya mall keeps up on his current streak, I think he could be even bigger. Now I do want to change gears and let's talk a little bit about the first ever FIFA world cup halftime show.

11:00What was your take on it? Well, I think we should give people a little bit of perspective. We're sitting in the press box. We're sitting behind windows. We can't even hear really what's going on. We're seeing the setup. And we had been discussing quickly that, you know, in the Super Bowl we've gone to together, they rush right on to the field. They do elaborate stages. And they hadn't done this right away. It was maybe about a minute or so before they even started coming onto the field with anything. And then they really just had a cover that covered the entire field with a big print on it. And then you saw dancers coming in from here and there.

11:34Obviously, I think it's different when you're protecting a soccer pitch than when you're protecting a football stadium. And obviously, they don't feel very used to this. They don't do it. And it's very different. and this is a little bit of a different show. You have a million different artists going on. I watching it back, I think it was as good as you could expect for a minimal, you know, setup and kind of throwing together your first one ever. The star power was there obviously, but I don't think it is close to rivaling a suitable half time. No, I don't, I don't think so either. And the main reason for that is that this feels like a FIFA mandated halftime show.

12:14Like when you go to the Super Bowl, you know, Kendrick Lamar had his set. Bad Bunny had his set. Rihanna had his set. And you think about the moments that were generated after just going back to Rihanna, for example. Rihanna revealed that she was pregnant. Kendrick Lamar performed not like us in Dish Drake. Bad Bunny had several moments. You know, the people walking out in grass costumes. The child and the people getting married at Bad Bunny's. I don't know that that is necessarily going to be anything we remember outside of like, oh, these artists performed, but it just did not pop to me. I think it could, but so long as artists are having to perform, you know, the FIFA World Cup anthem and not necessarily their songs.

12:57What if Justin Bieber performed Speed Demon? What if he performed other, you know, so many of his hits? What if he performed Baby? I think that would have rung off in the crowd and we didn't get to see that or feel that. And I think in the crowd, up until Shakira and Brenna Boy performed Die Die, I believe it's how you say it, up until they performed Die Die, the crowd was like, okay, this is cool. But it wasn't like sometimes when the halftime show performers and there are anthems being performed and everyone singing along. Yeah, I agree. The ambience from the crowd wasn't really there. And again, like we had seen this similarly in Bad Bunny.

13:35A lot of it was made for the broadcast. So there was a lot we couldn't see. We didn't see Madonna at all. Yeah. But I still think even when you were in the stadium, you were feeling it with Bad Bunny and you didn't really feel it. I thought the tarp was beautiful. I don't know. It was very nice. It was very nice. But I do think we'll see if this continues going forward, if they decide to keep doing four to five different artists. Or if they say, let's maybe have one or two. Yeah. Because Shakira and J-Lo split the halftime show once, and I think it was one of the best ever. Okay, Randall, let's talk quickly about President Trump's presence here.

14:12You've been at a lot of events that he's also attended. How was this compared to the others? This was by far the longest line, the worst experience of any event that I've attended where he was at. And the NBA Finals had that because President Trump attended Game 3. and it was halish getting into that game as well. But this was way different. I arrived at the stadium. I took the 10 to 11 New Jersey transit train out here. I thought that that was a good idea. The match started at three. That would have put me here. I would have imagined probably around 1130. By the time I got to gate D, which is where they are allowing media entry, the line was wrapped so...

14:52It was the longest media line that I have ever seen. I mean, it doubles and probably triples any line ever that I have ever been in for media. And that was because of Secret Service going through everything. Now, eventually the line did speed up. And once you got in, that was great. But at the same time, FIFA encouraged everyone to get to the stadium early and make sure that you could get in. I got here early. I did what I was supposed to do. And it wasn't enough. I was going to say that actually. You just throw it out there. They had made sure to tell everyone to get here early. So people did.

15:23And the lines are very long. And I, on the other hand, decided I feel like everyone's going to do that. So I took the one hour later train and I didn't get in. So I'm not sure if you got in the same time. Maybe you were getting there when he was getting in. I arrived. I probably got through the gates around one 15, one 30 and probably stood in line for 95 minutes. So it was, it was tough, but I'm just glad it wasn't hot. Like, no, I don't, I have not seen any reports that people were harmed in the line or, and I'm glad that we were safe. So ultimately that is what success looks like. Right. Different way than they thought it was going to.

16:01Exactly. Probably what they were hoping for. Yeah. Like the most ideal weather possible. I will say that. I think that this is sort of why federal officials don't go to a lot of sporting events. Now, other thing I'll say is that this is a different culture that global football. Oftentimes presidents go to these games. They enjoy these games. However, when you put multiple precedents at these games, it makes the experience very, very difficult for fans, for media, and for everyone trying to get in and get out of the game. That's very true. And then we had discussed also on either last week's show or the week before what we thought celebrity presence was going to look like, was it going to look as the same as game three for the Knicks?

16:47I said I didn't think so, and you said you thought so. So what's the verdict? I would say it probably fell just a tad short. And the reason for that is you can't see anybody. That's what I said. That's what I said. I remember saying that very specifically. In the garden, Celebrity Row, you're there to be seen. You're not really there because you care exactly what's happening on the floor. Obviously, some of them did. And some of them – listen, I think some of them were very into the idea of the Knicks winning the championship. Sure. And I don't think many people were here because they cared about Argentina winning.

17:20I think at a certain point, a lot of the suites emptied out just because the game was dragging on and Spain couldn't score and Argentina never had the ball. And so I think a lot of those celebrities ended up leaving. But when I went on the Internet in the middle of the game and just checked who all was here and then I used my phone to try to zoom in as far as you can, you can't see anybody. And I think that while we will remember and there will be pictures of all the celebrities that attended this game, it won't be the same way that it was for game three and game four of the Knicks and Spurs series.

17:51Because, as you said, you can see Taylor Swift. You can see Jay-Z. You can see so many other people who are sitting courtside. And I couldn't see Jay-Z and Beyonce were both here. And I couldn't see them. Right. And also, it's different in that regard as well on courtside because they're all sitting next to each other. Right. just like an added other thing that you're like, oh my God, all these celebrities are in one place. Okay. As we're wrapping up here, we have to talk about the fact that there was two different red cards in this game. And one of them came after the whistle was blown. Right.

18:22There was a fight at the end of the match. Nuts. People are over there celebrating. Someone from Spain leaves a hug to go fight. I mean, this battle with Leandro, but this ended up getting a red card. He was being pretty chippy throughout. Yeah, I think that there were a lot of Spaniards who wanted a piece of him during the game. But Spain did a good job of staying whelmed, I'd say. That's true. I think that we had a conversation on a previous episode about if Argentina was getting favorable calls. And they did not today. But they got away with a lot of, I'd say, chippiness. And I think the referee did not exert himself into the game until he absolutely had to draw the line.

19:04And both instances, he was right. He made the right calls. and I'm interested to see what the end result of all of this is going to be. I believe a red card means often a three-game suspension or a suspension of some sort. And it was clear Argentina was upset. I think that naturally the way that the game progressed where they weren't able to touch the ball, they weren't able to get a shot on goal, and then the way that Nico Williams was able to header the ball to Farron Torres, just an incredible goal, an incredible assist. And now you're playing 9 on 10, trying to score the equalizer. It's just not going to work out.

19:38Right, exactly. We don't have all the fireworks going off in the background here. So we don't have all the information right now as to what this will look like for people, what kind of success this will look like, but we will keep up with it. Your last thoughts on this World Cup as a whole right now? I think that as I remember this World Cup, I remember going to the games, I remember feeling what this culture looks like. But I will also say that this match in particular, GOAT versus Prodigy, I'll remember it being like, it was cool. It wasn't over the top. And also, I'm coming off the high of France-Argentina, which is arguably the greatest sporting match I have ever seen.

20:21In the previous final. Oh, the previous final. Okay, I'm sorry. Three, two, one. I'll make sure to note that. Yeah, I'll say it again. Three, two, one. arguably coming off the greatest match that I had ever seen, which is the 2022 World Cup final, France-Argentina. And I think that brought a lot of celebrities out. But ultimately, I think this was a great tournament. It was great to experience this culture. I'm fascinated to see how this affects the MLS, how it affects football slash soccer in America going forward. I do expect the World Cup to be back specifically in the U.S. in 2038. It's great to have the partnership with Canada.

20:54It's great to have the partnership with Mexico. And I think they did a phenomenal job. But I think when FIFA is going to negotiate eventually with the U.S. again, that whoever is in office is going to be like, we have more than enough facilities to have this all over the U.S. I mean, you think about the 11 U.S. cities, that could have very easily been 16 if FIFA wanted that. So that's my prediction. It was a marvelous tournament. I wish that it would have ended just a little bit higher, but dominant teams aren't always the most exciting. Yeah, I agree with that. And I will say, I think that when the U.S.

21:29fell out of the tournament, there were a lot of doubts on what it could do for the soccer market in the U.S. And I still feel that way. But I do think when we look back and we look at how much people brought their culture and brought the soccer culture to the U.S., I think that might really have a lasting effect other than just what happened. So this is the moment I've been dreading. The World Cup is officially over, but that doesn't mean we are going to shut up about it. No, we are not. Throughout the next few weeks, we will be discussing three, two, one. We will not. Throughout the next few weeks, we will be discussing the legacy that this World Cup had, taking a look at the economic impact that it had.

22:10Taking a look at the economic impact. I'll just skip that. Three, two, one. No, we will not. Throughout the next few weeks, we will be three, two, one. No, we will not. Throughout the next few weeks, we will be dissecting the legacy that this World Cup had and taking a look at the economic impact, what it did for the U.S. soccer audience and just how much money FIFA made from this tournament. So make sure you continue to tune in for more on the aftermath of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and stay up to date on the latest stories moving big money in the world of sports. Miranda Williams, I'm Vanessa Perdoma-Mai Leone.

22:49You're listening to the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.

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