World Cup 2026 preview: Groups E-H – Football Weekly

Paul Watson· Guest0:00

This is The Guardian.

Max Rushden· Host0:01

[upbeat music] Hi, pod fans. Max here. Football Weekly is supported by Contentful. Marketers, no matter what pitch you play on, a big win feels the same, electric. It's that moment when you read the play before the trend even starts. Beat the clock on a campaign with a little help from AI, and connect with customers in real time, like you've trained for it your whole career. That's Contentful. World-class digital experiences built fast, built beautifully. Create and launch personalized content in an instant across every channel your customers are watching. No chaos, no limits, just open field. Take your shot at contentful.com. [upbeat music] Hi, pod fans. Max here. Barry's here too.

Barry Glendenning· Panelist0:50

Hello.

Max Rushden· Host0:50

Football Weekly is supported by hotels.com. Now, Barry, question, when you're booking a hotel, do you use hotels.com? Actually, you're probably just gonna say, "I don't know, Producer Joel does it."

Barry Glendenning· Panelist0:59

I don't know. Producer Joel does it.

Max Rushden· Host1:01

Well, I think you should give it a try for yourself. Obviously, it's a massive summer of soccer, and loads of our listeners will be traveling to watch the tournament and needing to book somewhere great to stay. So it's good to know that when you're a hotels.com member, you can save up to 20% on hundreds of thousands of hotels. Plus, you earn rewards on every stay, so each trip you take helps pay for your future trips. Just use those rewards like cash, and importantly, there are never any blackout dates.

Barry Glendenning· Panelist1:23

What's a blackout date?

Max Rushden· Host1:25

Well, it's a date where you can't use travel rewards. Frustratingly, usually on or around