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>> Welcome to an extra special version of

the Bloomberg Business of Sports coming

to you from Metife Stadium after the

final whistle of the 2026 FIFA World

Cup. I am Vanessa Perl Magleon.

>> And I am Randall Williams. This World

Cup is officially

over. In Spain are the World Champions

winning 1 nil in extra time over

Argentina.

>> I first of all just I can't believe it's

over. It hasn't hit me yet, Randall. But

first first thoughts 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. It's just it's beautiful. It

really is though. That's why they call

it a beautiful game. It's they played

amazing. [laughter] But I'm honestly I

was surprised they didn't score earlier.

>> Yeah, they 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, 3-2 verse Verde, uh 3-1 vers

Switzerland, um 2-1 vers England, but

all surviving on the edge, often going

to 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, their everyone thought their side

of the bracket was a lot easier than

Spain's side of the bracket. You know,

they had to go through so many different

people. Spain had to go through France

and

>> but England had to go I mean Argy had to

go through England and those games were

so hardly fought and everyone thought

they were going to demolish everyone

else they came against and

>> it just showed they had resilience but

it didn't show the talent wasn't really

coming through even though they have 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 four fifth or

sixth game and

Tell us about, you know, tell the people

about this ambiance compared to every

every other game you've been [laughter]

at.

>> 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, um, Sweden, Morocco, but

Argentina filled the stadium. I mean, it

was 8515 maybe. I would probably say

it's 9010 and they were singing on the

New Jersey Transit. They were singing

all throughout the city. And so

>> singing in the press box,

>> you're right. Singing in the press box,

which is not normal for a press box.

Often times there are gasps, there are,

oh my gosh. But to hear people clap and

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 people you

saw walking around like on the concourse

and stuff that all the people in the

Argentina jerseys they weren't not

everyone was Argentinian that was very

clear walking around. Do you think they

bought last minute jerseys because

[laughter]

or do you think that they follow 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. Like 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. Show

Otani as well, but if you remember, Show

Otani is not the person who won the

Dodgers game seven. And I think Lionol

Messi probably has the greatest game of

anybody that's not named Killian Mbappé

in that 2022 World Cup final. You follow

that up with a 2024 Copa America win and

he's was riding high until uh today. And

I think that brand of Argentina, of

Lionol Messi, and then him coming to

America and playing for Inner Miami, it

just when a [clears throat] 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 Lamino Maul have emerged

victorious. I was going to ask you about

that as well because obviously that was

the other big conversation here was ar

you know was Messi versus Laminia Maul

the goat going out with the young star

coming in

>> he had a great game today.

>> Yeah.

>> How do you think what do you think this

did for his you know his career going

forward? Well, I think it's really

interesting because if you think of

Kellian Bbape, he was in a similar

position in 2018 where it was his coming

out party and you know, he had an

incredible 2022 and and this year was

obviously disappointing for him, but

Laminia Mal is in a similar position. I

think Barcelona is is uh 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. I

believe he finished second in the

Ballindor 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 and turbo 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 he was coming off an

injury. Uh he scored, I believe, once.

Um but, you know, Americans are going to

want to see him play. They're going to

want to see, oh, Lamin, that's the kid.

And I think that that goes a long way.

And you know, he's he's signed with

Adidas. Adidas is essentially passing

the torch from Lionol Messi to Lamin

Maul and he's going to make a lot of

money.

>> Yeah, I really think it's interesting

you bring up the US market in that

perspective because he's already started

the global, you know, in 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.

>> Killian Bape being one of them. Erling

Holland probably being the biggest

example of that. He was he's huge. I

mean, he plays for Manchester City. They

they do not lose.

>> Yeah.

>> But he came here and America fell in

love with this guy and they're like,

"Who is this person?"

>> Right. And I think Lamin Maul's coming

out party. He has so many. His next

World Cup will be when he's 22 or 23.

His one after, right? His one after that

will be when he's 27. His one after that

will be when he start. So there are

many, many more moments for him. And

ultimately, I think if if you're him and

he's walking around the street and he's

being, you know, fans are coming up to

him right now, just imagine what it's

going to be after he wins the Champions

League, after he wins, you know, a

Ballindor and and another thing that I

would say that is really a difference

between him and Messi is Lamin talks a

lot of junk and Americans love that and

I think, you know, 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 Laminia Maul 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. So he 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 while in the NBA about get

getting the face of the league and being

someone who wants it right. because we

talked a lot about it being Napoleon's

for a while.

>> Yeah.

>> But everyone knows he doesn't care. He

doesn't want to. He wants to play with

his horses and do whatever he wants to

do. [laughter]

>> So,

>> it feels like Messi was is similar in

that way. He doesn't really talk to the

media. He's not really out there doing a

ton. He does do commercials because, you

know, who doesn't say yes to that kind

of commercial success,

>> but he doesn't have any interest in

being the face of global football. He

just eats he

>> he really reminds me of 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 often

times it's like oh that's the goat. And

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, Lionol 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 rings out the loudest and that's

just not his style. But if Laminia Maul

keeps up on his current streak, uh 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. What was your

take on it?

>> Well, I think we should give people a

little bit 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.

>> Obviously, I think it's different when

you're protecting a soccer pitch than

when you're protecting a football

stadium. And obviously the NFL is very

used to this. They do it and it's very

different. This is a little bit of a

different show. You have a million

different um 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.

>> Sure.

>> But I don't think it is close to

rivaling a Super Bowl halftime show.

>> 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. Yes. Like 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 and Dre. Uh

Bad Bunny had several moments, you know,

the people walking out in grass

costumes. Uh the child who and people

getting married at Bad Bunnies. married.

>> 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, like what if Justin Bieber

performed Speed Demon? What if he

performed other so, you know, so many of

his hits? What if he performed 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 uh Berna Boy

performed um Die Die, I believe it's how

you say it. Um 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 the ambiance from the

crowd wasn't really there. And again,

>> like we had seen this similarly in Bad

Bunny, a 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 Bunny

and you didn't really feel it here.

>> I thought the tarp was beautiful. I

don't know if maybe

>> it was very nice. [laughter] It was very

nice. I just 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. cuz Jira and JLo

split the halftime show once and I, you

know, think it was [laughter] one of the

best ever.

Okay, Randall, let's talk quickly about

President Trump's presence here. You'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 uh because the

>> President Trump attended game three and

it was halish getting into that game as

well. Um but this was way different. I

arrived at the stadium. I took the 10 to

11 uh New Jersey Transit train out here.

I thought that that was a good idea. The

match started at 3:00. That would have

put me here, you know, I would have

imagined probably around 11:30. By the

time I got to gate D, which is where

they are allowing media entry, the line

was wrapped. So it 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 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 and

just throw it out there. They had made

sure to tell everyone to get here early.

So people did and 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 hit anyone. So I'm not sure if

you got in at the same time the stadium.

Maybe you were getting there when he was

getting in at the same time.

>> I arrived I probably got through the

gates around 1:15 1:30 and probably

stood in line for 95 minutes. Um, 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.

>> Exactly. This is probably what they were

hoping for, like the most ideal weather

possible. Actually,

>> I will say that um 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 uh global

football oftent times presidents go to

these games. They enjoy these games.

However, when you put multiple

presidents 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? I 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. [laughter] That's

what I said. I remember saying that very

specifically. In 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

obviously some 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.

>> Well, I think at a certain point the a

lot of the sweets 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, you know, 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 uh the Knicks and Spurs

series because 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 board time because

they're all sitting next to each other

which is like an added other thing that

you're like, "Oh my god, all these

lovers 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 [laughter] game and

one of them came after the whistle was

blown, right?

>> There was a fight at the end of the

match.

>> Nuts.

>> People are over there celebrating.

Someone from Spain leaves a hug to go

fight in this battle with Leandro Perez

ended up getting a red card.

>> He was being pretty chippy throughout

the game.

>> Yeah, I think that there were a lot of

uh Spaniards who wanted a piece of him

during the game, but Spain did a good

job of of uh staying wellemed, I'd say.

Like I think that we had a conversation

on a previous episode about if Argentina

was getting favorable calls and they did

not today. I think that 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 and 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 you know a red

card means often a three-game suspension

um 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, you know,

header the ball to Baron Torres, just an

incredible goal, an incredible assist,

and now you're playing nine on 10 trying

to score the equalizer. It's just not

going to work out,

>> right? Exactly. We have all the

fireworks going off in the back of uh 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 the 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. Um,

>> France Argentina

>> in the previous final.

>> Oh, the previous. Okay, I'm sorry. 3 2 1

I'll make sure to note that.

>> Yeah. Uh, I'll say it again. 3 2 1.

Arguably coming off the greatest match

that I had ever seen, which was the 2022

World Cup final, France, Argentina. And

I think that brought a lot of

celebrities out. But ultimately, I think

like 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/s soccer in

America going forward. I do expect the

World Cup to be back specifically in the

US in 2038. It's great to have the

partnership with Canada. It'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 US again, that

whoever is in office is going to be

like, we have more than enough

facilities to have this all over the US.

I mean, you think about uh the 11 US

cities, that could have very easily been

16 if FIFA wanted that. So, that's my

prediction. Um, it was a 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 US fell out of the

tournament, there were a lot of doubts

on what it could do for the soccer

market in the US. 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 US, I think that might

really have a lot lasting effect other

than just what happened on the field. 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 3 2 1. 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.

Taking a look at the econ economic

impact. I'll just skip that. Uh 3 2 1.

No, we will not. Throughout the next few

weeks, we will be dis 3 2 1. [laughter]

No, we will not. Throughout the next few

weeks, we will be [music] dissecting the

legacy that this World Cup had, and

taking a look at the economic impact,

what it did for the US 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 uptodate on the

latest stories moving big money in the

world of sports. For Randall Williams,

I'm Vanessa Perma Magleon. You're

listening to the Bloomberg business of

sports from Bloomberg radio around the

world.

>> [music]