Best thing since sliced veg: England put Wales to the sword and Louis van Gaal sharpens his knife

Hang up your wall chart, the World Cup is here! Marcus, Luke and Jim are giddy for it all to begin. Today, we look ahead to tonight’s huge opener featuring Mexico, South Africa and Shakira. It’s a classic line-up. Plus, England give us reason to be a bit more excited, partly thanks to our midfield centipede. Get your Ramble World Cup watch party tickets here Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's World Cup Eve! Marcus, Luke, Jim and Pete fill their tournament stockings with predictions, ranging from well-reasoned guesses to complete punts into the international football void. But Marcus has listened to his heart for one crucial category... Elsewhere, Luke goes big (too big) for his Surprise Package, Jim brings terrible luck on us all, and Pete's notable mad s*** means he'll have to take a trip to Mexico to verify the identity of a dog. Join us! Share your predictions! Tell us on X, Instagram and YouTube, or email us here: [email protected]. Get your Ramble World Cup watch party tickets here. Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just two more sleeps until the World Cup is back in town! If you've not been infected by the World Cup fever yet, don't fret. We've got the pathogen for you, ladies and gents. Marcus, Luke, Jim & Pete are here to preview the tournament, with plenty of chat on the host nations, the favourites, and of course the minnows. Plus, the German sax guy is back, Romário continues to fancy himself a bit too much, and we start the campaign for the return of Colombia's 'Birdman'. Get your Ramble World Cup watch party tickets here Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's finally here. The actual World Cup is this bloomin' week! Has anyone checked on Marcus' aunt? He's back in the hot seat, flanked by Luke and Jim to discuss whether England's warm-up game against New Zealand actually happened. Plus, should Captain Tom have been represented during Paraguay's send-off fireworks display? And Florentino Pérez's reign of terror at Real Madrid continues... while José Mourinho's has just begun. Get your Ramble World Cup watch party tickets here Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They all thought it was over after last week's My Biddy Aunt final. They were wrong. The Luke Nation, the Ehantharajah Empire, and Spelgium will cross swords once more to see who will claim the humungous Jack's Encyclopaedia trophy and the belt to go with it. Jim's on the buttons for this finale, and this time it really is winner takes all. Get your Ramble World Cup watch party tickets here Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: [email protected]. Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble. ***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.