The Absolute Chaos of World Cup Week 1 | Trevor Noah & Joe Opio World Cup Special

Less than one week in, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already delivering surprises. Trevor and his football frenemy Joe Opio discuss Germany's 7-1 rout of Curaçao, whether Mexico beat South Africa or South Africa lost to Mexico and why those aren't the same thing, and a statement win from the US against Paraguay. They also dive into the ways football is borrowing from basketball, hand out some early flowers (and a few early critiques), and try to figure out what we've actually learned from a tournament that seems determined to keep everyone guessing. If you haven't already.... Subscribe to the channel here: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTrevorNoah Or follow the podcast on your other favorite platforms... SiriusXM Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnApplePodcasts Spotify - https://bit.ly/WhatNowOnSpotify 0:36 - Intro: Welcome to Week One of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2:11 - Germany's Statement Win vs. Curaçao (7-1) 5:28 - Mexico vs. South Africa: Did South Africa Beat Itself? 7:38 - Japan Holds Its Own Against the Netherlands 8:29 - Team USA's Stunning Performance & the Pochettino Effect 10:18 - Can USA Handle the Target on Their Backs? 13:04 - Türkiye's Shocking Loss to the Socceroos 19:31 - The Low Block & How Football Has Changed 26:17 - Ayoub Bouhaddi & Morocco's 18-Year-Old Masterclass vs. Brazil 33:26 - Mid-Roll: Verizon Sponsor Break 34:44 - Which Teams Should Be Worried? (Brazil, England & More) 37:50 - England's Cursed Week: Stolen Kits, Tornadoes & a Tough Group 40:20 - Best Player Story of Week One 42:07 - Best Celebration: Quiñones' Iconic Goal Dance 43:31 - The New York Knicks Championship & World Cup Vibes 48:23 - New York City: The Greatest Sports City in the World 55:45 - Most Anticipated Games of Week Two 56:55 - Off-Field Stories: FIFA's Language Rules & Senegal's Fans 58:47 - Outro

Trevor NoahhostJoe Opiohost

Jun 16, 20261h 0mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

75 min read · 14,671 words

0:00 – 0:36
Intro
1. TNTrevor Noah
  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, pitchside 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. [upbeat music]
0:36 – 2:11
Intro: Welcome to Week One of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
1. TNTrevor Noah
  [audience cheering] [whistle trilling] This is What Now? With Trevor Noah. We made it, Joe.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, we did.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  We made it. Here we are.
4. JOJoe Opio
  Finally.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  What is this, uh-
6. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm
7. TNTrevor Noah
  ... eight years of planning, four years of waiting-
8. JOJoe Opio
  [laughs]
9. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and then [laughs] one week of chaos.
10. JOJoe Opio
  [laughs]
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Welcome to Week One of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. You know, even saying it makes it feel as, as jam-packed as it's been.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  More countries hosting than ever before, more games than ever before, more countries participating than ever before. I don't remember the last time I started watching a game in the same country as the games are hosted, by the way-
14. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, yeah
15. TNTrevor Noah
  ... at midnight.
16. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah. It's, first of all, the gestation period. When you said eight years, I went like, "Okay, it's been eight years."
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, it's been eight years of-
18. JOJoe Opio
  W- of-
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... of planning. Yeah.
20. JOJoe Opio
  Eight years in which, wow. But I feel like now that we are here, and that's the thing about the World Cup, now that we are here, it feels like it was worth the wait.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  It does.
22. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah, it does feel like that.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  It does. Maybe-
24. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
25. TNTrevor Noah
  ... maybe that's a good place to start.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Is, like, let's, let's jump straight into the games.
28. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Um, who surprised you? Who has underwhelmed you?
30. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
2:11 – 5:28
Germany's Statement Win vs. Curaçao (7-1)
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
2. JOJoe Opio
  ... they have failed in the next two World Cups to make it past the group stages.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, yeah, that's true.
4. JOJoe Opio
  2018-
5. TNTrevor Noah
  That's true
6. JOJoe Opio
  ... they stayed behind, having lost to Mexico in the opening game. And then last World Cup, they lost to Japan, and things went downhill from there. So they needed this win. But then when Curaçao equalized, you went like, "Oh, here it goes again. Here it goes again." So yeah, Germany have definitely, definitely... That was a statement win.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  It de- definitely was.
8. JOJoe Opio
  That was a statement win.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  I mean, beating a team 7-1, you know, you'd think at, like, 5-1 you start relaxing.
10. JOJoe Opio
  Germans don't show mercy.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  No, they don't.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah, no.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  They really don't.
14. JOJoe Opio
  But I, the, the funny thing is the reaction from Curaçao. Like, I've been online, and Curaçao fans, credit to them, are like, "For us, this was historic. The fact that we were invited to the high table-
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
16. JOJoe Opio
  ... and we held our own for as long as we did, and we scored our first World Cup goal ever, smallest country ever take part in a World Cup, 150,000 people," it means a lot to them. So for them, 'cause we were comparing them to Brazil.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18. JOJoe Opio
  We went like, "Oh, 7-1, oh, Brazil has handed over the mantle." They went like, "No, we are proud. Brazil was traumatized. For us today, it was a national holiday."
19. TNTrevor Noah
  It is amazing.
20. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, one of the things that I love about the World Cup is how every team comes to the World Cup with a different objective in mind.
22. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Like, every, every team. So if you come in as one of the, the big teams, if you're France, if you're Spain, if you're Germany-
24. JOJoe Opio
  Argentina
25. TNTrevor Noah
  ... if you are Argentina, anything less than success, anything less than victory is deemed a failure.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  If you come in as one of, like, the middling teams, then it's like, can you get far?
28. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  You know? And so, like, no one's expecting Japan to win.
30. JOJoe Opio
  To win, yes.
5:28 – 7:38
Mexico vs. South Africa: Did South Africa Beat Itself?
1. JOJoe Opio
  A- and I told you this, I think South Africa beat itself. I don't think Mexico beat South Africa.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  You don't think so?
3. JOJoe Opio
  No, I don't think.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay.
5. JOJoe Opio
  I think they-
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Say, say, say more. How?
7. JOJoe Opio
  So they committed an error at the opening. The, the opening goal was a gift.
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, by the-
9. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah
10. TNTrevor Noah
  ... defensive midfielder-
11. JOJoe Opio
  Defensive midfielder failed to turn-
12. TNTrevor Noah
  ... receives the ball
13. JOJoe Opio
  ... and lost the ball. Yes.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah. Turned.
15. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  He scanned way earlier-
17. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
18. TNTrevor Noah
  ... received the ball-
19. JOJoe Opio
  Oh
20. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but his touch was horrific.
21. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  And then he was chasing the ball, and then it was too late.
23. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. And then, you know, the two red cards didn't help. So for me-
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
25. JOJoe Opio
  ... I feel like South Africa, I, I... Look, I know South Africans think that maybe their team is hopeless after that, but I think the result- I think the, okay, South Africa was very, first of all, they played way cautiously.
26. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
27. JOJoe Opio
  They were way... They sh- they played almost negatively.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  That's, that's the issue that I think South Africans have, is we're not concerned about, like, it's, we don't think the team's hopeless.
29. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, yes.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  It didn't look like we were trying to win the game.
7:38 – 8:29
Japan Holds Its Own Against the Netherlands
1. JOJoe Opio
  you asked me about the team that has surprised me the most. Japan, I expected it.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
3. JOJoe Opio
  The team, 'cause Japan, you know, as I told you, they have beaten Spain, they have beaten, uh, Germany in the last World Cup.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Right, right, right.
5. JOJoe Opio
  They've beaten Brazil, and they've beaten England in their friendlies. I expected, I expected them to hold their own against the Dutch. The team that sur- the team that blew me away was the US.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  Prr.
7. JOJoe Opio
  I watched that game. You couldn't recognize the US. You kept asking-
8. TNTrevor Noah
  Amen
9. JOJoe Opio
  ... "Who is this?" Yes.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  The United States of Spain.
11. JOJoe Opio
  That was-
12. TNTrevor Noah
  That's what that was
13. JOJoe Opio
  ... that, that was incredible, yes. United States of Spain, yes.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  The United States of Golazos.
15. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  The United States of Tiki-taka. The United States of Total Football.
17. JOJoe Opio
  Please, son. Mm.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  The United States of Travielas.
19. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  The United States of Total... Like, the pressing up the field. Do you know what I mean? When you, when you-
21. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
22. TNTrevor Noah
  ... look at that team and how they were playing the game, yo, I, I still cannot get over. Okay, here's, here's-
23. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
24. TNTrevor Noah
  ... what's more interesting to me. It's not the fact that Team USA played the way that they did. It's that
8:29 – 10:18
Team USA's Stunning Performance & the Pochettino Effect
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Team USA seems to have hidden this until now.
2. JOJoe Opio
  They did beat Uruguay 4-1.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, but beat-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Which was impressive, but I thought it was a one-off.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Yes, but beat-
6. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
7. TNTrevor Noah
  ... versus how they played.
8. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. Yes. It was very un-American. And I know normally in America that's a bad thing, but when it comes to f- football, football styles, that was a very un-American style. They were, it was Joga Bonito.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  It was, it was truly Joga Bonito, yeah.
10. JOJoe Opio
  It was Joga Bonito. They were enjoying themselves.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  A beautiful game. Yeah, it was beautiful.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Uh, Antone Robinson was inverting. Sergino Dest was inverting. They were attacking. Pulisic was having fun on the wing.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, he was, man.
14. JOJoe Opio
  You had, uh, Weston McKennie making, like, runs into the box. It was, every player deserved a 10.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Can I tell you, if you-
16. JOJoe Opio
  Every player
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... if you invested in all of those players before that game-
18. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... you would be receiving the highest return on investment. Like, their, their stock price after that game has skyrocketed.
20. JOJoe Opio
  You would be receiving higher returns than even the-
21. TNTrevor Noah
  There's, there's no, there's no compar-
22. JOJoe Opio
  ... than even the SpaceX employees.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, no, no, no.
24. JOJoe Opio
  No, it was.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  This is like, this is, th- there's no one... Like Balogun, for instance.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  He went from-
28. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, yes
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... who is this guy? Only, like, deep football fans-
30. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
10:18 – 13:04
Can USA Handle the Target on Their Backs?
1. TNTrevor Noah
  I mean, has he also found pressure now, though? Like, do, do, do you, uh, I always wonder if you-
2. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
3. TNTrevor Noah
  ... wanna just win versus thrash the opponents going into the next game. 'Cause I-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... part of me wonders if now Team USA has put a target on their backs.
6. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  And at, at, at most World Cups, I find the winner is generally somebody who escapes the, the, the magnifying glass at the beginning. You know? You, you, you escape that focus.
8. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  You look at Argentina and Qatar.
10. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, you look at-
12. JOJoe Opio
  Spain with a low
13. TNTrevor Noah
  ... Spain in, in 2010.
14. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  You look, you look at any tournament, even France when they won it. Like, you just, you look shaky.
16. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  No one's watching you. Everyone's thrashing everyone on the other side. And then you sort of sneak through to the knockouts. And then you win a game here, you win a game there.
18. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  And you win another game. Next thing you know, you've won the finals.
20. JOJoe Opio
  I'll agree with you because I think one of the truths about any tournament is the team that wins the tournament has to peak at the right time.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, you do.
22. JOJoe Opio
  So you can't peak early.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, you can peak too early, but then-
24. JOJoe Opio
  'Cause then one of the things you're saying, you peak too early, and then there's a, a target on your back. But everyone is watching out, so you have to almost, like, pace yourself, so to speak. But I think for the US as the hosts and coming in with the problems they had, like, 'cause there was so much external noise surrounding the team.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Fans are not invested. There's the political ramifications. There's all this drama.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Amen.
28. JOJoe Opio
  That, like, shut all that down.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Let me tell you something. The fans were invested. SoFi Stadium was electric.
30. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. No, no, no. But I mean, like-
13:04 – 19:31
Türkiye's Shocking Loss to the Socceroos
1. TNTrevor Noah
  mind, Türkiye playing against Australia.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Their, Balogun, one of their players, he gave a, he gave an interview-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... before the game where they're asking him, "How do you think it's gonna go?" He was like, "We're gonna dominate them."
6. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  He was like, we-
8. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Sounded a little bit like Wembanyama where he's like, "Ah, man, we're gonna dominate them. You know, we're gonna-
10. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  "This is what we do. We got this game." Did you see there was a clip of Arda Güler-
12. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
13. TNTrevor Noah
  ... one of the attacking players-
14. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm, mm.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  From-
16. JOJoe Opio
  Remarkable player. Yeah
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... yeah, from, um, Türkiye in the, in the, um, what do you call it? In the tunnel-
18. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... right before they come out onto the pitch, and it's just him talking to his, um-
20. JOJoe Opio
  Teammates
21. TNTrevor Noah
  ... to his teammates.
22. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  And he shouts out, he shouts out, he's like, "Guys, we're way better than them. Let's prove it on the field." And then you cut to 90 minutes later, and they're losing 2-nil. Not even 2-1, by the way.
24. JOJoe Opio
  2-nil.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  2-nil to the Socceroos. Which, can I just add, like, if you call your team the Socceroos-
26. JOJoe Opio
  You're, yes
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... I feel like you've trolled everyone you play against because it seems like you don't take it seriously.
28. JOJoe Opio
  It's actually so funny that we never mock the Australians for that, 'cause we mock Americans for calling it soccer. And then the Austra- Even America went like, "No, we'll not call our team the Socceroos."
29. TNTrevor Noah
  The Socceroos is-
30. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. It's really-
19:31 – 26:17
The Low Block & How Football Has Changed
1. TNTrevor Noah
  the way, we have to talk about, um, the Moroccan midfielder.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, Ayoub Bouhaddi?
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Man.
4. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Yo.
6. JOJoe Opio
  No. Everyone, but-
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Yo
8. JOJoe Opio
  ... he's 18.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  [sighs]
10. JOJoe Opio
  And that Moroccan team is very young, but I'm saying-
11. TNTrevor Noah
  That boy's-
12. JOJoe Opio
  I love coaches who can trust a player at that age against Brazil, 'cause also you need the coach's faith.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  And, and not just against Brazil.
14. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Look, look who he's playing in that midfield. He was playing against-
16. JOJoe Opio
  Casemiro
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... Casemiro.
18. JOJoe Opio
  Lucas Paquetá.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Guimarães.
20. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  And then switched out to Fabinho.
22. JOJoe Opio
  At half time.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  At half time.
24. JOJoe Opio
  At half time they went ... Yes, yes.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  They switched out to, and he still-
26. JOJoe Opio
  Dominated them
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... bossed the game. An 18-year-old-
28. JOJoe Opio
  It was impressive
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... who 30 days before-
30. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
26:17 – 33:26
Ayoub Bouhaddi & Morocco's 18-Year-Old Masterclass vs. Brazil
1. TNTrevor Noah
  you know, went to university. Now, I mean, like they've, they, they, they're running the attack. You had... Who else have we got? We got... Morocco's team-
2. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
3. TNTrevor Noah
  ... was interesting because they made history as I guess the first national team at a World Cup where none of the players-
4. JOJoe Opio
  None of the players born, yes
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... were born in the country that they're representing.
6. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, but that's what I'm, that's, that's the thing I'm saying about Morocco's project 'cause they specifically went out to try and bring this talent back home.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  Do you-
8. JOJoe Opio
  But-
9. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, I was wondering this though. Do you think it undermines the whole point of a World Cup if a player can just switch allegiances to another country at any point, or is it... 'Cause there's two ways to think of it, right?
10. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  On the one hand, you can say the whole point of a World Cup is that it's not a competition about which team could get the best players.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  It's an exhibition of which teams or which national teams were made up of the players they happen to have.
14. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. Yes.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Another argument is, no, the World Cup is just an exhibition of the team that a country could put together, and so whether or not a player's from that country shouldn't really matter. How do you, what do you, which way do you lean?
16. JOJoe Opio
  The way I look at it is, so you said a player can switch, but FIFA is very strict.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay.
18. JOJoe Opio
  Once you play in a competitive game for a country, it's done.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Are you sure?
20. JOJoe Opio
  It's done. Once you play-
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, no. What happened with, uh-
22. JOJoe Opio
  If you play friendlies-
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
24. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  What happened with, um... I feel like it was your boy, man. You, he played at Barcelona. He, uh, Laporte, wasn't he, wasn't he o- on the French team and then Spanish team?
26. JOJoe Opio
  He never played a competitive game. He played in a bunch of friendlies. So you're allowed to be called up.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh.
28. JOJoe Opio
  But once you play, actually-
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay
30. JOJoe Opio
  ... actually, some countries have been accused of calling up players and then cap tying them. So they call you up for a competitive game, then they know you can never-
33:26 – 34:44
Mid-Roll: Verizon Sponsor Break
1. TNTrevor Noah
  let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor for today's episode. That's Verizon. Now, we all know the FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest events on the planet, right? Everybody wants in, which means scoring tickets is hard. Like, really, really hard. Well, there's good news. Verizon is providing their customers with unmatched access. They've given away thousands of free tickets, and even given their customers pitch-side access during matches. If you're not a Verizon customer, I've got good news. Right now, more people than ever can get a better deal at Verizon. If you have a bill with AT&T or T-Mobile, all you gotta do is bring it in. And if you have a bill with Xfinity or Spectrum, bring that in too, and Verizon will give you a better deal. Plus, you could get bucket list experiences like free tickets to the FIFA World Cup. Must provide a very recent post-paid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 than Verizon. [upbeat music]
34:44 – 37:50
Which Teams Should Be Worried? (Brazil, England & More)
1. TNTrevor Noah
  So going back to the games, who do we think should be worried right now, and why? Like, let's start with Brazil.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  From, like, all my Brazil friends-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... all my Brazilian friends-
6. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
7. TNTrevor Noah
  ... are not, like, they're not comfortable. They're the, in fact, I would argue they're the least comfortable I've ever seen them at a World Cup.
8. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, but that's because Brazil always has a high bar.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  No, no, Joe.
10. JOJoe Opio
  Brazil, no.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Joe, Joe, Joe, Joe, wait.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Let me explain.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Joe, wait, wait.
14. JOJoe Opio
  Okay?
15. TNTrevor Noah
  But Joe-
16. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... Brazil always has a high bar.
18. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  You know what Brazil also always has?
20. JOJoe Opio
  Great players.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  A world-class squad.
22. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Not just great players.
24. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  Now they have great players.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  But they've got a weird roster of great players.
28. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Their team looks like a mix of the-
30. JOJoe Opio
  Split and balance, yeah
37:50 – 40:20
England's Cursed Week: Stolen Kits, Tornadoes & a Tough Group
1. TNTrevor Noah
  The England team, in the space of four days, had their kit stolen.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Right? Their training kits all stolen. I think the police eventually recovered most of it or all of it.
4. JOJoe Opio
  I think Declan-
5. TNTrevor Noah
  But still
6. JOJoe Opio
  ... I think Declan Rice's shirt was left behind.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs] So the-
8. JOJoe Opio
  No one. Even the thieves are like, "We're not putting this on. No."
9. TNTrevor Noah
  The England-
10. JOJoe Opio
  I like Declan Rice
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... England team had their, their kit stolen.
12. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  Um, there was, like, a shooting near the [laughs] , near the grounds-
14. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
15. TNTrevor Noah
  ... like, you know, which just became part of the news.
16. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Then there was a tornado warning that was issued, and so the players had to stay indoors, and it was, like, a violent storm-
18. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. Mm.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  .. in Kansas.
20. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, people were like, "This is, this is basically the beginning of The Wizard of Oz."
22. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, yes, yes, yes. [laughs]
23. TNTrevor Noah
  That's, that's, that's what it sounded like. And then on top of that, there's one other thing that went badly for them. What? I'm missing something.
24. JOJoe Opio
  I think-
25. TNTrevor Noah
  There was the kits. It's the tornado watch.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Was it, was it the bus? Something with the bus.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  There's something else that happened.
28. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  England, though, is just... This, this is either the, like a, like a, like foreshadowing-
30. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
40:20 – 42:07
Best Player Story of Week One
1. TNTrevor Noah
  who do you think's got the best player story so far at the World Cup?
2. JOJoe Opio
  Without a doubt, Raúl Jiménez, for me.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  Not Ayoub Bouhaddi?
4. JOJoe Opio
  Not Ayoub Bouhaddi.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  Why not?
6. JOJoe Opio
  Not at all. Raúl Jiménez shouldn't be playing football.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  What do you mean?
8. JOJoe Opio
  He shouldn't be playing football. Remember he got a fracture with his, when he had a collision with the keeper.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Okay. Yes.
10. JOJoe Opio
  And then he fractured his head. Eight months out. They had to do, like-
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah
12. JOJoe Opio
  ... things with. He wore a-
13. TNTrevor Noah
  He's still wearing it. Yeah
14. JOJoe Opio
  ... a skull cap. Yeah.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, yeah. He wore the skull cap. Yeah.
16. JOJoe Opio
  Around his head for the longest time.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
18. JOJoe Opio
  He shouldn't be playing football. He was not supposed to be playing football, and then he scored his first goal for the World Cup.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Man, he was, he was crying.
20. JOJoe Opio
  He was crying. He was in tears. So for me, that's the most heartwarming story because it shows you the redemptive power of sports.
21. TNTrevor Noah
  It really does.
22. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Uh, best goalkeeper moment? For me, I'm gonna pick, um, Japan's goalkeeper, Suzuki.
24. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  I know they conceded two goals-
26. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... against the Dutch, but I think-
28. JOJoe Opio
  They were unstoppable
29. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but I think he was phenomenal.
30. JOJoe Opio
  They were unstoppable. You can't blame him for either. By the way, he had a tough time. He's also, like, another not as big as Raúl Jiménez, but his story is redemptive 'cause he had a tough, tough Asian Cup. When he first, his debut in a big tournament-
42:07 – 43:31
Best Celebration: Quiñones' Iconic Goal Dance
1. TNTrevor Noah
  Best celebration? I mean, for me, easily Quiñones from Mexico.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Oof.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  To, to do-
4. JOJoe Opio
  That was... Yeah
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... the South African celebration from 2010 when they scored against Mexico. He wasn't even there. But not just to do it, to do it perfectly.
6. JOJoe Opio
  Bena, let me ask, do you think, was he trolling or was he celebrating? Sipiwe Shabala.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  No, I think he's trolling. Obviously, he's trolling.
8. JOJoe Opio
  You don't think he's celebrating?
9. TNTrevor Noah
  Oh, man.
10. JOJoe Opio
  'Cause that was an iconic, it was an iconic, iconic celebration of that one.
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but he's doing it against the same team that scored against them
12. JOJoe Opio
  And he also scored the opening goal
13. TNTrevor Noah
  And I think-
14. JOJoe Opio
  It was there. Yeah
15. TNTrevor Noah
  And I think it's-
16. JOJoe Opio
  You're right
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... because they, they-
18. JOJoe Opio
  You're right
19. TNTrevor Noah
  ... they, they think of the stories-
20. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
21. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and the videos-
22. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
23. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and everyone kept on-
24. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, yes. Yeah
25. TNTrevor Noah
  ... playing that over and over again. And it was this idea that's haunting Mexico. Oh, here comes South Africa again.
26. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  And remember the goal they scored against you, and it was this whole thing. But what I was impressed by was the fact that for him to practice the dance means he believed.
28. JOJoe Opio
  You need to know that you're going to score. Yes.
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, he believed.
30. JOJoe Opio
  Mm. Mm. But he's Black. I will give it to him.
43:31 – 48:23
The New York Knicks Championship & World Cup Vibes
1. TNTrevor Noah
  of where we are, has been the New York Knicks. It, it, like-
2. JOJoe Opio
  Look, it was in-
3. TNTrevor Noah
  I know this sounds weird-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Mm. Mm
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... but it felt like one of the World Cup games.
6. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  It, like, it, it just felt like-
8. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
9. TNTrevor Noah
  ... part of the euphoria because you had, um, New York City packed-
10. JOJoe Opio
  Packed. Mm
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... packed, packed, packed with Moroccan fans, packed with Brazilian fans-
12. JOJoe Opio
  Brazilian fans. Yes
13. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and packed with New York Knicks fans.
14. JOJoe Opio
  The funny thing about that is Brazil played Morocco-
15. TNTrevor Noah
  All, all three believing-
16. JOJoe Opio
  Yes
17. TNTrevor Noah
  ... that they were gonna win
18. JOJoe Opio
  And all of them very passionate.
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Truly.
20. JOJoe Opio
  And all of them dominating every space-
21. TNTrevor Noah
  Truly
22. JOJoe Opio
  ... they come into. The funny thing about that is I don't come from a basketball country.
23. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
24. JOJoe Opio
  But the thing is when you're in New York and New York is winning, it's very infectious.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  It's crazy, man.
26. JOJoe Opio
  And it's very contagious.
27. TNTrevor Noah
  It's beautiful.
28. JOJoe Opio
  The energy in New York is, as you said, people are friendlier. Everyone's... It's just, it just feels-
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
30. JOJoe Opio
  And so when Brazil was playing Morocco, which is supposed to, to be a huge, big game, it felt like a curtain-raiser for the next game later that night.
48:23 – 55:45
New York City: The Greatest Sports City in the World
1. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  New York City itself. You know, people always, uh, say as a platitude-
3. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
4. TNTrevor Noah
  ... "Oh, New York, the greatest city in the world. New York greatest." I don't know many cities in the world where you could have a game five of a historic NBA championship, also have a World Cup-
5. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, yeah
6. TNTrevor Noah
  ... match between Brazil and Morocco- Have all of that happening at the same time-
7. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
8. TNTrevor Noah
  ... as, like, a Puerto Rican Day Parade.
9. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, yes.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  Have all of that happening, streets packed. People, you know some people were just going out for dinner that night as well.
11. JOJoe Opio
  New York is always packed.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
13. JOJoe Opio
  Yes.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Some people in New York didn't even know all these other things were happening.
15. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
16. TNTrevor Noah
  The city is chaos. People are in the streets cheering, climbing on top of things.
17. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  Some people are breaking things, you name it. And the next morning, the city's still there like it never happened.
19. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
20. TNTrevor Noah
  I, I genuinely was like, "Yo, nothing..." New York used to have, um, I don't know if you were ever around in New York, um, around Hurricane Sandy.
21. JOJoe Opio
  Oh, yeah, yeah.
22. TNTrevor Noah
  They, they, they-
23. JOJoe Opio
  No, I missed it. I missed it that year
24. TNTrevor Noah
  ... they had, like, the song that they, that they put on-
25. JOJoe Opio
  I missed it by two years, yeah
26. TNTrevor Noah
  ... and it was like, "We are stronger than the storm."
27. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  And they're like, "We're stronger than the storm." And I remember watching that and I was like, "No, guys, come on. What do you mean you're stronger than the s- " Yo, seeing New York and I was like, okay, no, New York is, New York is im- like, it's impenetrable.
29. JOJoe Opio
  There were, there were people complaining.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  It doesn't matter what it is.
55:45 – 56:55
Most Anticipated Games of Week Two
1. JOJoe Opio
  Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
2. TNTrevor Noah
  Which games are you most excited for this week?
3. JOJoe Opio
  I'm excited for the one we're going to cover, first of all, tomorrow. Uh, r- no, wait. The one, the one we're going to cover, France, Senegal.
4. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
5. JOJoe Opio
  I love that game.
6. TNTrevor Noah
  That's big, man.
7. JOJoe Opio
  That game has a history. Two thou-
8. TNTrevor Noah
  That's big
9. JOJoe Opio
  ... 2002 World Cup.
10. TNTrevor Noah
  That's big.
11. JOJoe Opio
  Senegal shocks France, and France gets... France had won the World Cup in 1998.
12. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
13. JOJoe Opio
  Senegal shocks them, and that set the tone, 'cause France didn't make it out of the group.
14. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah.
15. JOJoe Opio
  Even with Zidane. Yes, an injured Zidane, but they still didn't make it out. And that, by the way, s- kickstarted this trend where whichever team had won the World Cup before-
16. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
17. JOJoe Opio
  ... didn't make it to the next World Cup. So France didn't make it to the next World. Uh, and so for me, this game has lots of history. It has lots of colonial history as well.
18. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19. JOJoe Opio
  'Cause Senegal and France, of course, they have their colonial ties. And I think Senegal is a good team. I think Senegal is good enough with Sadio Mané and all their-
20. TNTrevor Noah
  Right
21. JOJoe Opio
  ... th- his supporting cast. They're such a good team that they will give France a game. 'Cause France are the favorites-
22. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah
23. JOJoe Opio
  ... to win the World Cup, but this is going to be their first huge, huge test, 'cause they lost their last game against Ivory Coast-
24. TNTrevor Noah
  Yep, which was a-
25. JOJoe Opio
  ... to their friends
26. TNTrevor Noah
  ... massive moment
27. JOJoe Opio
  ... yes, which also had, like, the colonial history.
28. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Massive moment.
29. JOJoe Opio
  So for me, this is going to be a good test of where France are.
30. TNTrevor Noah
  I don't want to call
56:55 – 58:47
Off-Field Stories: FIFA's Language Rules & Senegal's Fans
1. TNTrevor Noah
  them scandals, but the stories around the game.
2. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
3. TNTrevor Noah
  You know, there's been, like, a few of them. One-
4. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
5. TNTrevor Noah
  ... we've seen all of these press conferences where reporters are trying to speak to the players in Spanish.
6. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. Yes. Yeah.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  The players are trying to respond in Spanish.
8. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  And then the FIFA ref- representatives-
10. JOJoe Opio
  Yeah, all that crap
11. TNTrevor Noah
  ... are saying, "No. You only speak in English."
12. JOJoe Opio
  Mm.
13. TNTrevor Noah
  But the irony of it is they're saying you can only speak in English because that's the only language it can be translated from.
14. JOJoe Opio
  Mm, mm, mm, mm.
15. TNTrevor Noah
  So it seems like they just didn't account for the fact that many of the players only speak Spanish.
16. JOJoe Opio
  Spanish, yes.
17. TNTrevor Noah
  It's one of the most spoken languages in football specifically.
18. JOJoe Opio
  But I think FIFA likes encouraging English as the standard language because-
19. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah, encour- there's a difference between-
20. JOJoe Opio
  Mm
21. TNTrevor Noah
  ... encouraging and dictating.
22. JOJoe Opio
  But what's FIFA if not a dictatorship?
23. TNTrevor Noah
  [laughs]
24. JOJoe Opio
  FIFA is not a democracy, I'll tell you that. FIFA is not a democracy. There have been... I think FIF- look.
25. TNTrevor Noah
  The other thing has been like-
26. JOJoe Opio
  Yes. Mm-hmm
27. TNTrevor Noah
  ... the, all the players, uh, the Senegalese fans. N- like, do you think it'll affect the team, them not having, them not having their fans there?
28. JOJoe Opio
  I think you need your fans, but I also think when you're playing at a, at a World Cup-
29. TNTrevor Noah
  Yeah
30. JOJoe Opio
  ... if you need extra motivation, then you shouldn't be at the World Cup.
58:47 – 1:00:22
Outro
1. TNTrevor Noah
  as always, Joe-
2. JOJoe Opio
  Mm. Mm
3. TNTrevor Noah
  ... this has been a pleasure, my friend.
4. JOJoe Opio
  No, man. Anytime we have to talk soccer, you know me. We could talk for hours, by the way.
5. TNTrevor Noah
  And we will.
6. JOJoe Opio
  We could talk for hours.
7. TNTrevor Noah
  We have many more hours coming.
8. JOJoe Opio
  Yes, yes. Mm.
9. TNTrevor Noah
  We have many more, but let's save it. Let's save it for then. For now, for now, my friend, it's full time. [imitates alarm] I'll see you, I'll see you at the next one.
10. JOJoe Opio
  No, it's always fun. It's always a pleasure. This was fun. [upbeat music]
11. TNTrevor Noah
  Thank you again so much to the sponsor of today's episode, Verizon. They've given their customers unmatched access to the FIFA World Cup 2026, including thousands of free tickets, people, meets and greets with soccer legends, and the once in a lifetime opportunity to watch a portion of the FIFA World Cup from the pitch, from the pitch, all just for being a Verizon customer. If you're not with Verizon, no sweat. Stop by a Verizon store to get in on the action and learn about their amazing offers for new customers. [upbeat music] What Now? With Trevor Noah is produced by Day Zero Productions in partnership with SiriusXM. The show is executive produced by Trevor Noah, Sunaz Yamin, and Jess Hackel. Rebecca Chain is our producer. Our development researcher is Marcia Robiu. Music mixing and mastering by Hannis Brown. Random other stuff by Ryan Harduth. Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for another episode of What Now? [upbeat music]

Episode duration: 1:00:33

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