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Learning English from the News

World Cup excitement and concern

6/10/20269 min

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is the biggest ever. But concerns surrounding the cost of tickets, the impact of international politics and immigration policies, security, extreme heat and sustainability could also make it the most controversial ever. Learn English from the news headlines with Pippa and Georgie.

Get a free worksheet for this episode to practise what you've learnt:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news\_2026/260610.

We have lots of programmes on the topic of sport to help you improve your English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/topics/sport\_and\_exercise. Maybe you want to practise some other skills? Have a look at our skills page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills

Clips

Host Nation At War
Immigration Policies Hit Fans
Everything Comes At A Cost
Put To The Test

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Georgie· Host0:00

    This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. [gentle music] What do Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney- YouTube megastar MrBeast- and former Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg all have in common?

  2. Speaker 20:13

    They're all being discussed in the new season of Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast which explores the lives and fortunes of the world's super rich.

  3. Georgie· Host0:20

    That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

  4. Speaker 20:22

    Listen now or search for Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

  5. Pippa· Host0:26

    [gentle music] From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

  6. Georgie· Host0:35

    In this program, FIFA Men's World Cup: excitement and concern.

  7. Pippa· Host0:40

    [upbeat music] Hello, I'm Pippa.

  8. Georgie· Host0:46

    And I'm Georgie.

  9. Pippa· Host0:47

    In this program, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

  10. Georgie· Host0:54

    You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

  11. Pippa· Host1:02

    So, let's hear more about this story.

  12. Georgie· Host1:05

    [upbeat music] The FIFA Men's World Cup begins tomorrow, and this year it's bigger than ever. It could also be one of the most controversial ever.

  13. Pippa· Host1:19

    It's the first to be hosted by three nations: Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with a record number of teams and matches. 48 teams are taking part, and

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