WORLD CUP Bonus Episode: Quarterfinals
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This episode is brought to you by Verizon. As an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Verizon is bringing once-in-a-lifetime experiences to their customers. Free tickets to matches, pitch-side access during gameplay, and meet and greets with soccer legends. If you're not with Verizon, no sweat. Stop by a Verizon store to get in on the action and learn about their offers for new customers. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 than Verizon. This is What Now? with Trevor Noah. Well, welcome to it. The final week of the World Cup. And what feels like the final week of our lives. I have to say, this is probably my least favorite part of the World Cup.
It's my least... Yeah, you know, when you're tending towards the end, I already... I don't know that you're feeling the same thing, but I'm having the blues. Like, you know when you go on vacation and then it's about to end, like two days away and you're like, and I have to go back to my normal work day. I have to go back to the plantation.
It's just like fading away from all the joy, fading away. I almost wish they had a... like a come down routine from the World Cup. They should have the World Cup. And then what they should do is they should replay or reinvent some of the matches that we didn't get to see. Just to let us, you know what I mean?
You don't want to quit cold turkey.
Yeah, we can't.
But for the World Cup. I mean, when you put it that way, yeah, I'll accept it because I am addicted.
But yeah, I wish they just had like a, you know, let's have a few other games. Could we see Brazil versus Spain, maybe? Oh, okay. The ones we didn't see. Could we see Argentina versus... Low stakes, but still. Yeah, just like, you know, for fun. They can play for Haaland's raccoon.
No, I'll tell you one thing. That Monday, next Monday is going to be rough.
How did the hosts react to the World Cup reaching its final week and what mood did they set?
Yeah, it will be, man.
Next Monday is going to be rough because you're going to be looking back like, oh my God. There are people who are going like, we can't wait for next Monday. There are probably spouses who are like, we can't wait for next Monday.
Spouses and family members. Yes. Everyone in the house who didn't have access to the TV. Yes. Is now excited.
Who didn't have access to their own family member who is addicted, who has been thinking Harland, Messi, Kane. Mbappe. Now they can finally give the kids attention. They can finally, yeah.
I mean, this is why Infantino is proposing 64, expanding the World Cup. I feel like Infantino, his end goal, his end goal is to expand the World Cup to the point where it's just the whole year.
No, I think to expand it to the point where it's the World Cup. Where every nation competes. Everyone is playing, yes. Like literally, because he knows. And I think I told you this before. Infantino is both, you could say, corrupt and evil in a very cartoonish way. Like in a very Dr. Evil kind of way. But he knows he has us in a chokehold. He knows once the ball is kicked. Like you can complain and moan once the ball is kicked.
Yeah, but I think to call him a villain is to simplify it too much. I don't think Infantino is a villain. I think he's just in charge of a thing that we love more than anything.
Yes.
And just like any organization, especially like a multinational organization, there's elements of it that we'll disagree with. Okay. But who of us can deny the expanded format was better for the fans, was better for the World Cup, and was better for the world?
I'll give it up to him. We'll give it up. The reason I call him a villain is because he's using the thing that we love, like Dr. Evil, he's using it to achieve his dreams of global domination. Yeah.
That's what Infantinos is doing.
And the thing is, every once in a while, he gets proven right. Like, you can't argue. We complained bitterly about the expansion, remember? Yeah, a lot of people did. Okay, Africans maybe not as much. Yeah, a lot of people did. Maybe smaller nations not as much because we were like, oh, this is our chance to actually get in. But the bigger countries really whined. And then look what happened.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:53
2
How did the hosts react to the World Cup reaching its final week and what mood did they set?
1:53–6:37
3
Why do Trevor and Joe debate FIFA expansion and what are the pros and cons of more teams?
6:37–21:09
4
How did FIFA's seeding change this World Cup and what impact did it have on the draw?
21:09–36:17
5
What happened in the England vs Norway quarterfinal and why is the 'Cable of God' skycam controversy significant?
36:17–40:02
6
Why do the hosts say Soloth's 2v1 moment decided Norway's fate more than officiating errors?
40:02–50:04
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from What Now? with Trevor Noah
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