19 episodes

What can we say? Soccer… is life. Just in time for the 2022 World Cup, soccer fans and hosts Matt Nelson and Steve Ceruti share some of their favorite soccer episodes from Gimlet, Parcast and Spotify. Like how a scrappy US team leveled up to compete with Mexico and create a fierce rivalry. Or how the Spanish women's team fought for equal opportunities at the 2015 World Cup. And the story of the 1974 Zaire team who saw soccer as a way to climb out from under a dictator's rule. New episodes of We Came to Win publish each Tuesday. 

We Came to Win Spotify Podcasts

    • Sports
    • 4.7 • 1K Ratings

What can we say? Soccer… is life. Just in time for the 2022 World Cup, soccer fans and hosts Matt Nelson and Steve Ceruti share some of their favorite soccer episodes from Gimlet, Parcast and Spotify. Like how a scrappy US team leveled up to compete with Mexico and create a fierce rivalry. Or how the Spanish women's team fought for equal opportunities at the 2015 World Cup. And the story of the 1974 Zaire team who saw soccer as a way to climb out from under a dictator's rule. New episodes of We Came to Win publish each Tuesday. 

    The News (The Last Days of Maradona)

    The News (The Last Days of Maradona)

    At 1:04pm on November 25, 2020, the first paper published the news that Diego Maradona had died. A media frenzy ensued around the world. Immediately, people began to question the team that had taken care of Maradona, who would ultimately face criminal charges in relation to his death. In this episode, we return to that day, to learn how the news of Maradona’s death broke. We look at the impact that his death had on the world, how it affected people close to him, and how the pain from their loss gave way to anger surrounding the investigation into the way he died.

    The original episode, "The News", was published by Spotify's Original Podcast The Last Days of Maradona. 
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    • 39 min
    Bonus Episode: A Controversial World Cup Begins

    Bonus Episode: A Controversial World Cup Begins

    The World Cup is underway in Qatar and many storylines are being written on and off the pitch. In this very special bonus episode, The Journal's Joshua Robinson examines some of the controversies surrounding these games. From human rights violations to the banning of beer, this episode tells the story of how Qatar came to host this years tournament.
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    • 17 min
    The Women’s Game

    The Women’s Game

    For this final episode of the season Matt & Steve look back at the mutiny that took place during the 2015 Women’s World Cup and the Spanish National team’s battle for supremacy on the pitch and equality off of it.
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    • 50 min
    The Wilderness Years

    The Wilderness Years

    If there’s one thing in World Cup soccer that is a safe bet, it’s Scotland’s inability to qualify for world tournaments. Matt leads Steve on a painful tour through Scotland’s wilderness years and some of his most painful memories. 
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    • 31 min
    Gazza: The Mercurial Midfielder

    Gazza: The Mercurial Midfielder

    Today the English Premier League is one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues in the world but that wasn’t the case 30 years ago. This club saw troubling times in the 1980’s. From stadium tragedies to the rise of an unlikely hero in Paul Gascoigne, we tell the story of a few events that helped to forever change the trajectory of English soccer.
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    • 56 min
    Carbon Neutral?

    Carbon Neutral?

    FIFA has promised that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will NOT be harmful to the environment and even went as far as to say it will be carbon neutral. This raised the eyebrows of many environmentalists all over the globe, so we went to the professionals to ask if this claim was true. 
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    • 46 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
1K Ratings

1K Ratings

EJNS1212 ,

For football fans, soccer moms, and everyone in between

I love this podcast so much! I am not a dedicated football fan, although I love the excitement of the World Cup. I listen to many, many podcasts, and there’s something magical about this one. Nando brings something for everyone.

KLandis41 ,

Great podcast

Thank you for a great podcast! The stories you told were totally new to me, but excellently told and fascincating. I hope we don't have to wait 4 years for more stories from you.

Endgame07 ,

Good stories but

Really missed out on an opportunity to do a second season for the women’s World Cup. Thought it might be a one off for the Men’s World Cup but then a new episode came out

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