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Chapter 1: What are the commentators' initial impressions of the World Cup 2026?
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commentators view at the people world cup 2026 on the football daily podcast hello it's the football daily i'm alistair bruce ball and this is the commentators view where we five live commentators talk about the football the words we use in football commentary and the places it takes us on our travels which is particularly pertinent with this episode a very special episode today we join you
from the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, although strictly speaking, us three, John Murray, Ian Dennis, both here with me, are all in the good old US of A at the moment. John and Ian actually sitting in a room together, although I believe it's the first time you've seen each other since arriving out here to cover the tournament. And I am speaking to you from...
The ninth floor of the Hilton Fort Worth. So my next game is in Dallas. The next commentary I'm going to be doing is in Dallas. So I'm in Fort Worth, which is not too far from Dallas.
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Chapter 2: How did Ian Dennis go viral during the tournament?
Blue skies, bright sunshine. You chaps, though, you chaps are in New York, John.
We are. We're in New Jersey, actually, to be precise. And I've just sat down next to Ian Dennis. And this is the first time I've seen him at this World Cup. Honestly, it's about two minutes ago. And this is the first time I've clocked eyes on you at this World Cup. We've not seen each other since May. No.
Chapter 3: What unique experiences did John Murray have at the Azteca Stadium?
No. And here we are.
And we're recording this. So local time for me, I think I'm an hour behind you. So it's quarter to five here. So we're 15 minutes away from Brazil, Scotland. So I've got that on in TV in the background here. So that's going on live while we record. So just going to keep a little eye on that. But how's it been?
Chapter 4: What challenges do commentators face in large stadiums?
I mean, you know, we'll get into all of it, the games and the travels and the experiences and chat about England and Scotland, of course, in particular. But in terms of a sort of overall experience so far, Mark's out of 10 for the World Cup 2026?
Probably seven, seven out of 10. I don't know about John, my first... I've been in America for over three weeks because I was in Orlando and Tampa and West Palm Beach for the best part of a week and a half with England during the two warm-up games. But for the start of the World Cup, I came to New Jersey and I had a few days here. But it was at the same time where...
the New York Knicks were about to win their first basketball NBL title in 53 years. And it didn't really feel as if the World Cup had started because it was being overshadowed a lot by, you know, you walk into a bar and they're not showing the football. It was just the basketball.
And it was only when I went to Atlanta did I really start to get a bit of that usual feel of a World Cup experience when you're traveling around and you get to see all the different supporters from the different nations.
Chapter 5: What were the standout performances from England in the World Cup so far?
So the very start of the World Cup was a little bit strange. But it was the opposite for me because I started off in Mexico City for the opening match and it absolutely slapped me in the face right from the start that I was in the city that was going to host Mexico playing in their capital city in the first match of this World Cup. And, you know, the atmosphere there was amazing.
And the one thing I would counter that with was, It wasn't like the mix that we experienced in Moscow, for example, before the start of the World Cup, when it felt like the whole world was there. For Mexico City, it felt like this was Mexico City's big event and the country of Mexico and the number of replica shirts there. And also, what it was like...
on the day of the opening match and what it was like on the evening after the opening match when Mexico had beaten South Africa was a real lifetime memory. And what about being in the Azteca? And that as well.
Chapter 6: How did the commentators react to Messi's record-breaking goal?
Absolutely that. Yeah. The whole experience of being in that stadium, Ali.
Yeah, I've been trying to listen to as much as I can via the BBC Sounds app over here to sort of try and sample those other atmospheres that you're experiencing. In fact, we can play some of that right now, John. So this is you in the Azteca at that opening game.
What a noise inside the Azteca.
smoke bombs go off.
We're going to fly past.
The Mexican Air Force have just flown over the Azteca.
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Chapter 7: What insights do the commentators share about the best teams seen so far?
And they've spewed out red, white and green as well.
It's no mistake of where we are, Chris. Oh, it's in some atmosphere. Some occasion. Oh, helicopters have appeared. Helicopters carrying the flag of Mexico. Two helicopters making their way above the Azteca and a huge Mexican flag flapping away, held by a cord from the lead helicopter. Amazing scene.
incredible sounds and you brought that to life john so so brilliantly and i saw chris sutton social media video of the duck wearing the mexican shirt waddling around chris with a sombrero on as well he's probably he's probably brought into headgear over here chris sutton he has and the uh
The thing about that was that what they did for the opening match was they left, you know, how many things we've seen left on seats for football fans, but I've never seen this before.
Chapter 8: What fun anecdotes do the commentators share about their travels and experiences?
It was like a sort of thin cardboard circle. which when you put it on your head, made it look like you were wearing a sombrero. And the brilliant thing about that was when they scored the opening goal, which was in the first 10 minutes, the Mexicans in the crowd all just threw their sombreros into the air. And it really made me think back to...
you know, watching Argentina 78 with the ticker tape coming down. And it was just, it felt like it was an iconic experience to see that. And the funny thing was in the Azteca, I actually left it until we recorded. Did you see the video I recorded when I went into the Azteca for the first time? That was my, that was a genuine, that was not showbiz.
That was, that was my genuine first experience of walking inside the stadium. And as I said at the time, my eyes were instantly drawn to the points on the pitch. where Maradona started his run. And also, you know, where the Hand of God goal happened, which was at the same end where Carlos Alberto scored.
Because we've been talking about it so much in the build-up to this tournament, those famous, famous World Cup moments. And just to see it, and the funny thing about it was that there was a strange light in the stadium, which made the pitch look very like it did when we were watching the TV pictures from 86 all those years ago, which I've sort of felt, well, that's probably the effect of TV.
But with the naked eye, it actually had that sort of translucent effect on the grass in the Azteca. But I remember Chris Waddle telling me that the actual grass in the Azteca is longer than normal. And maybe that little extra length gives it that different, I don't know, feel or look. Yeah, entirely possible. And it was a magical moment when Mexico scored early.
And the build-up that morning, honestly, because I think it was a one o'clock kick-off, wasn't it, local time? we left for the stadium 6.30 in the morning. And I've not left for too many football grounds at 6.30 in the morning.
And because there was all sorts of, there were protests going on, the teachers were protesting, you know, to draw attention to their cause and a whole range of other protests were taking place. The other unions joined in. So that was why we had to get there quite so early that morning. And we just didn't know. Chris Sutton was with us.
Chris was quite skeptical about leaving at that time, but it was absolutely the right thing to do to leave so early because people were flooding to this day. We got there before half seven in the morning, so it was less than an hour. And the scenes outside the ground, I mean, thousands and thousands of people in the replica shirts were queuing. I sent you a little video.
I took senoritas, you know, senoritas and the sort of equivalent, the male equivalent. We're all dressed up, walk along the streets and in the early, you know, in the breakfast time, before breakfast time. It really reminded me of going out. to the stadium in Sao Paulo, actually, for the first match in Brazil, which was really evocative, and that was equally so.
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