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Kickback '26

Kickback '26

Kickback Soccer Media

About

Kickback '26 is the home of Kickback Soccer Media's World Cup 2026 original shows and series, including our first-of-its-kind First Touch program. First Touch offers new, emerging, and avid fans one place to find your World Cup "starter packs," in-depth insight, unparalleled coverage and American-driven perspectives into the stories shaping the first men’s World Cup on home soil in more than three decades.
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First Touch ’26 - England

First Touch ’26 - England

Dec 13, 2025·—

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Is Football Coming Home? For England, every major tournament starts with that exact question. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into the story of the Three Lions as they head into 2026 under new manager Thomas...

First Touch ’26 - Germany

First Touch ’26 - Germany

Dec 12, 2025·—

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For generations, the World Cup script was simple: 22 players chase a ball for 90 minutes and, somehow, Germany end up in the semifinal. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces how Die Mannschaft became the sport’s...

First Touch ’26 - South Korea

First Touch ’26 - South Korea

Dec 12, 2025·—

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South Korea doesn’t just show up at World Cups. They live there. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass looks at the Taeguk Warriors’ 11th straight appearance on the world stage and what could be the last dance for...

First Touch ’26 - Jordan

First Touch ’26 - Jordan

Dec 12, 2025·—

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The World Cup has a new debutant: Jordan’s Al-Nashama, “the chivalrous ones,” finally stepping onto the biggest stage. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass unpacks how a country better known for Petra and the Jordan...

First Touch ’26 - Tunisia

First Touch ’26 - Tunisia

Dec 12, 2025·—

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Tunisia are about to play their seventh World Cup—more than almost any African nation—but the Eagles of Carthage still feel oddly overlooked. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass explores how football grew under French...

First Touch ’26 - Cape Verde

First Touch ’26 - Cape Verde

Dec 12, 2025·—

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To find Cape Verde on a map, you have to keep zooming in. This is what the football world has had to do to understand: how the tiny Atlantic archipelago became a World Cup nation. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass...

First Touch ’26 - Haiti

First Touch ’26 - Haiti

Dec 12, 2025·—

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No team at this World Cup carries a heavier off-field burden, or a purer sense of joy, than Haiti. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the Grenadiers’ impossible run from a country in deep political...

First Touch ’26 - Paraguay

First Touch ’26 - Paraguay

Dec 12, 2025·—

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Some national teams have flair; Paraguay has garra guaraní: Guaraní grit. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into how La Albirroja’s identity was forged in the fires of the War of the Triple Alliance and lives...

World Cup Draw Group By Group Analysis x Kickback '26

World Cup Draw Group By Group Analysis x Kickback '26

Dec 8, 2025·—

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Kickback 26 is your front-row seat to the 2026 World Cup. Hosted by David Gass, Claudia Pagan, Heath Pearce, and Eric Krakauer, this podcast breaks down every World Cup group with a mix of tactical insight, big-picture...

First Touch ’26 - Spain

First Touch ’26 - Spain

Dec 7, 2025·—

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Spain has only lifted the World Cup once, but La Roja seem omnipresent in every tournament conversation—and 2026 will be no different. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces the arc from Spain’s 19th-century...

First Touch ’26 - Saudi Arabia

First Touch ’26 - Saudi Arabia

Dec 7, 2025·—

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They shocked the world by toppling Messi’s Argentina in 2022; now Saudi Arabia is trying to prove that was no one-off. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the Green Falcons—from the early days of...

First Touch ’26 - Egypt

First Touch ’26 - Egypt

Dec 7, 2025·—

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Egypt helped invent African football greatness, but the World Cup has never quite gone their way. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass charts the Pharaohs’ journey from early Olympic pioneers and 1934 World Cup...

First Touch ’26 - Iran

First Touch ’26 - Iran

Dec 7, 2025·—

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It’s hard to find a place where politics and football are more tightly intertwined than Iran. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces how Team Melli has become a symbol of both state power and public...

First Touch ’26 - Austria

First Touch ’26 - Austria

Dec 7, 2025·—

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Once home to the “Wunderteam” and the legendary Matthias Sindelar, Austria’s greatest football tales used to live in black and white. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass connects that glorious past: 1930s brilliance...

First Touch ’26 - Ivory Coast

First Touch ’26 - Ivory Coast

Dec 7, 2025·—

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For many fans, Ivory Coast will always be the land of Drogba, the Touré brothers, and a golden generation that helped pause a civil war and made the Elephants a global cult favorite. In this World Cup Capsule, David...

First Touch ’26 - Panama

First Touch ’26 - Panama

Dec 7, 2025·—

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Panama’s World Cup history is short and brutal: one appearance, three losses, and a 32nd-place finish in 2018. But that’s only half the story. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass digs into how a baseball country...

First Touch ’26 - Qatar

First Touch ’26 - Qatar

Dec 7, 2025·—

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No country is more polarizing in modern football than Qatar. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass examines how a tiny, oil-rich Gulf state went from football afterthought to one of the game’s most influential...

First Touch ’26 - France

First Touch ’26 - France

Dec 2, 2025·—

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For most countries, just qualifying for the World Cup is a dream. For France, it’s World Cup trophy or failure. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass dives into the story of Les Bleus: a global powerhouse with two World...

First Touch ’26 - Japan

First Touch ’26 - Japan

Dec 2, 2025·—

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No national team on earth has built their modern football project quite like Japan. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass breaks down how the Samurai Blue went from late arrivals on the global stage to qualifying for...

First Touch ’26 - Senegal

First Touch ’26 - Senegal

Dec 2, 2025·—

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Step into Senegal and you immediately feel teranga: the Wolof concept of warmth, welcome, and generosity and nowhere is that spirit more alive than with the Lions of Teranga. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass traces...

First Touch ’26 - New Zealand

First Touch ’26 - New Zealand

Dec 2, 2025·—

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The tiny island nation at the edge of the world, New Zealand is famous for the All Blacks, the second most dominant team in rugby history. But in 2026, it’s the All Whites chasing history. In this World Cup Capsule...

First Touch ’26 - Ecuador

First Touch ’26 - Ecuador

Dec 2, 2025·—

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For decades, Ecuadorian football has wrestled with belief, from being late to the World Cup party, short on trophies, but always rich in passion. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass explores how "La Tri" have quietly...

First Touch ’26 - Uzbekistan

First Touch ’26 - Uzbekistan

Dec 2, 2025·—

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Once a Soviet republic and Silk Road crossroads, Uzbekistan has become one of world football’s most fascinating late bloomers. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the White Wolves: a team long...

First Touch ’26 - Canada

First Touch ’26 - Canada

Dec 2, 2025·—

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The world is coming to Toronto and Vancouver, and Canada is determined to prove they are a soccer nation, not just a hockey one. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass unpacks how a country with one of the oldest...

First Touch ’26 - Curaçao

First Touch ’26 - Curaçao

Dec 2, 2025·—

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Curaçao: beaches, blue water… and the biggest underdog story of the 2026 World Cup. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass dives into how the “Blue Wave” became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament...

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