Jacobin Radio: World Cup Update w/ Laurent Dubois

On Jacobin Radio, the team behind the People’s Game podcast continue their unique coverage of the 2026 World Cup, analyzing the men’s football games on the field as well as the political, social and economic subtexts of the world’s most popular sporting event.

Guest hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa are joined by Laurent Dubois, a professor of history at the University of Virginia. Laurent has two bodies of work of equal importance to the People’s Game: one on the history and culture of the Atlantic world, focusing on the Caribbean, Haiti, North America, and France, the second on fútbol, with a focus on the game in Africa, France, and the African diaspora. Laurent sings the praises of the French national team, who remain the favorites to win the tournament, celebrates a strong showing by Haiti, marvels at the brilliance of African diasporic players on countless teams, and explains why African soccer has developed so spectacularly in recent decades.

Then we’re joined by Hartzell Gray, a DSA- and PDA-endorsed candidate for Congress and Missouri’s 4th District. Until recently, Hartzell was the voice of Kansas City’s Major League Soccer team. He shares his thoughts about late capitalism’s greatest spectacle coming to his hometown — including the harrowing ICE raids across the Kansas City metropolitan area that coincided with the tournament.

Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman features conversations with leading thinkers and activists, with a focus on labor, the economy, and protest movements.