PTI - Who is the most COMPELLING team left in the World Cup??

Episode Date: July 13, 2026

Tony Kornheiser and Pablo Torre discuss the World Cup semifinals, World Cup expansion, and the MLB All-Star Week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Pablo Torre. It is Barbershop Music Appreciation Day, Tony. Do you like Barbershop Fortets? Tony Kornheiser. I don't spend much time in barbershops anymore. Perhaps you've noticed. There's not a lot of need to go to a barbershop.

Yeah. Fair. Pablo, I want to ask you a question. It's summer, as we know. I broke out this jacket. This jacket is a maw of color. I don't think Wilbon would wear it, but do you like, what do you think of it?

Because I could jump it like after the first break. It does make me grimace a bit. Really? You get the reference here. Really? McDonald's the big purple guy. Big purple guy, grimace. Grimmis?

Familious. The character grimace? Wow. I knew I shouldn't have bought this. I knew it was a mistake. Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. Wilbon has the day off, so I'm joined by our great friend, the host of the podcast. Pablo Tori finds out Mr. Pablo Torre.

That's nice. Nice ovation. And we begin today with the World Cup, Pablo. The semifinals are set. Spain will play France tomorrow in Jerry World. These two teams are widely regarded as the stronger duo. England will play Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday. These two had the more adventurous paths getting this far. Pablo, which of the four remaining teams do you find the most compelling? It's England. It's England because it's been 60 years. It's been 60 years, Tony, since The World Cup was won by a nation that fancied itself the cradle of football in some regard. And also right now in the present tense here in 2026, there's a bit of tension between the manager, Thomas Tuchel, who came out after England won that game. And he said, this was lucky. This was sloppy. He basically lit into his players.

And the best player on the team, Jude Bellingham, had just heard the crowd serenade him with, Hey, Jude. And then he gets that from his manager. And he says, basically, in response, I don't know if. far coach knows what it's like to play against a team like Norway. And that's some American, old-fashioned coach and player tension to me. And so I like the idea that as this miracle run may be happening, underneath the surface, thinly veiled is a bit of perhaps animosity between the star and a coach, which is such an American thing once again. So, you know, I don't really know much about soccer, but everybody I talk to believes that France is the strongest team out there. They all love Mbapé. They all love Mbapé. And they think that France has had the most

dominating run so far. In terms of goal differential, in the group event, France had 13 goals and gave up two. And now in the knockout round, they have six goals and they haven't given up any. Spain has given up one fewer goal. But Spain has a level. goals, and France has 19. I agree with you, though, about England. I think England has had the greatest single win in the entire World Cup. They go into altitude in Mexico. At a stadium where Mexico had played 89 games and had only lost twice, and England beats them,

and I believe gets three goals against them, and then England comes out of that, goes to sea level, I think in Miami, and beats Norway. Norway goes up 1-0, England scores the next two goals. As you said, Jude Bellingham, he got both goals for England, and he got serenated. And what's great about that

is that is an English crowd singing an English Beatles' song to that guy. This is not, take-me-home country roads, West Virginia. These are the Beatles. These are the Beatles for an English team. I would say, though, as a newspaper guy,

the greatest story so far is messy, because he could be at 39, still the best player in the world. So I would be okay if he won, but you and others have talked about this recently that it seems sort of not fair the way they got past Egypt. It seemed like maybe that was a boat race.

You know, that that wasn't a legitimate thing. I don't know. Well, and I will say as the magazine reporter in me, you're the columnist, I used to embed with these fan bases at the World Cup when I covered it in 2014 in Brazil. The English fans are this beautiful mix of self-defeatism, but also self-awareness around how futile all of it is. And they are so thirsty for this thing to finally come home.

And so if they do it, the idea of a bunch of guys wearing night costumes, serenating people with Oasis and the Beatles and feeling joy as their skin is sunburred from Miami, I just find that amazing on every possible visual level. But there's an even bigger World Cup story I think we should discuss here. FIFA, Tony, is going to consider broadening the field of teams from 48 to 64 for the next tournament. And I'll remind you, this has been the year, the first year of 48 teams up from 32. So would FIFA be wise to expand this field again? So I have sat on this show with Wilbon a hundred times, and we have talked about the expansion of the NCAA basketball tournament.

And each time both of us has been against it. We've been against it. We've been against it, 64, against it to 164. against it to 68, against it to 76, it'll probably go to 90s, go to 128 at some point. And I've always been against it because I think it is rewarding mediocrity. I am less strident in the world of soccer than I am about basketball. I sort of feel that it's going to happen anyway, so let me get on the right side of this issue. Soccer is indeed the world's game.

Every single country in the world plays that at a higher pitch. see what I did there, then the United States. So, I mean, to me, if you want to go higher, if you want to go to 64 teams, I mean, I don't think it's the end of the world, and I would present as evidence for going to 64, Cape Verde. Cape Verde gets into the knockout round.

They almost beat Argentina, right? They have a population less than Baltimore, Maryland, and they did so well. So, I mean, you can convince me that it, In soccer, 64 is legit. So as always, I begin by quoting Donnell Meyer to you, right? The answer to all your questions is money. This is why they do it.

You get more games and these World Cup games are global events, the biggest events that we have left on the planet. So that's why they're doing it. But is it a good idea? Look, I was with you. I shared the skepticism around how much can you lose scarcity while boosting value. But this tournament was top to bottom, the strongest tournament of my lifetime. And I don't think it's particularly close. And so the idea that you're really getting at is if for each of these nations, there are 200

or so FIFA member nations, if for each of these nations, this feels existential, they carry that drama and those stakes into even the least impressive and interesting matchup in the tournament. And what we found is that if you have a bunch of Davids going up against a bunch of Goliaths, you kind of want to see what happens. Because in each of those Davids, there might be. the one guy that you remember, like the Cape Verde Gole, who was, you know, anonymous, and that was 40 million Instagram followers. We're sticking around for stories and subplots as well as the entertainment. Yeah, I mean, there's Cape Verde, there's Bosnia, there's Congo, Norway, which is,

I think, ranked 31st, got all the way to the quarter. And this was, this was the year of expansion. So, yeah, of course, they're going to do it again. And money is the reason that they're going to do it again. but I don't think it's all that terrible. I think, you know, if you don't allow these teams in, this is not like taking six SEC teams. If you don't allow these teams in, you discourage soccer in a lot of these places. And so for me, it's not the worst thing in the world,

even though normally I would say, yes, this is the worst thing in the world. They went through it, 32 to 48. They can go 48 to 64. It's not terrible. Let's move to tomorrow night's All-Star Game in Philadelphia. starter Zach Wheeler, he's 10 and 1 this year with a 213 ERA. He was indefensibly left off the All-Star team. Loudly complained how he'd been disrespected. So then when baseball tried a makeup

call and added him to the team, Wheeler gave them the finger and said he wasn't going. Wheeler said, quote, I'm not going to be like the fifth option. Once I feel like they kind of messed that up, I'm out. I'm just not going to participate in that thing, that thing, unquote. Pablo, do you endorse Zach Wheeler's position to turn down an invite to the All-Star game? I'm listening to you read Zach Wheeler's quotes, and I'm like, man, this guy sounds kind of like how I imagine Tony Kornheiser would sound if presented with the same scenario about himself. I have to imagine, Tony, that you understand the level in which you understand your own estimation and how you would feel the friction when others do not. Now, the thing I will point out to both you and Zach Wheeler is that from the outside, most people, wouldn't have made a mountain of a distinction between, man, you got added a little bit late and being added originally.

I think in the end, right, on the epitaph, on the baseball reference page, it says you were an all-star and you could take it and just take it and be the bigger person and no one is really the wiser. But I kind of love, as I love with certain television hosts, the absolute furnace fueled by resentment. And I kind of respect that he made a mountain out of this because he didn't have to. So, yeah, identify with it. I do identify with him in that regard. I mean, I get why he feels this way. Baseball has completely hosed him. He's 10-1, a 213-E-R-A.

He has started 15 games to the Phillies. The Phillies have won 14 of those games. He had 34 strikeouts in his last three games. If you look at who's starting the game, it is his teammate, Christopher Sanchez, and deservedly so, because Christopher Sanchez went 50 and two-thirds innings earlier this year, did not allow an earn run.

But his numbers are 11 and 4 and 2, 4, 2, or 262. So Wheeler has better numbers. And that's why he told baseball to shove it. And here I'm going to surprise you a little bit. Because I think he's making a mistake. And the reason I think he's making a mistake is one thing. The game's in Philadelphia. He plays for the Phillies.

This is his team. This is his park. These are his fans. Go there and feel the embrace of the fans. If you want to rail about this, you can rail about it. But indeed, they're offering you this kind of an apology. And I honestly think he should take it, Pablo. I think he can't pitch anyway.

He pitched yesterday. People that pitch on Sunday are not allowed to pitch in the Tuesday game. So it's just ceremonial. It's him and somebody like Tariq Scuba would fall in that category. It's just ceremonial. So get out there, doff your cap, and bathe in the embrace of your fans. I think he's cutting off his nose to spite his face. do. You know, I am

surprised at first by you saying that, and then I realize that Tony Cornheiser corollary, which is you have to appreciate the value of working from home as you are right now. So I get it. It's fair. It's fair to point out. Yeah, that's what this show

is all about. Wilbaum's three homes and my one and a half. Let's take a break. But coming up, who should be happier with their heater? The Red Sox are the Yankees? And which was the more intriguing fight, the one in which Connor McGregor buckled or the one pitting Bam out of bio

against Tyler a hero. I write all these notes and then I forget everything that I've ever said. You know, I just... The thing I wanted to say earlier was let's wait for a 16 to beat a 1 in soccer. When UMBC beats France, you call me.

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I'll get the first one. And I'll get it from a new mailbox. Mail time. A new mailbox. Don't get tetanus. A brand new mailbox. Here we go. Off that new mailbox.

Which team should be more relieved heading into the All-Star break, Pablo? The Red Sox or the Yankees? So I will begin with the Red Sox, who I left for dead at the bottom of the American League, only to discover that they're the greatest team in baseball right now. They've won nine in a row, I believe. They are currently on a run that has terrified me, even as, by the way, as you know, my New York Yankees made just like I would say, delightfully dispiriting work for you as a guy who pays attention to the Washington Nationals.

That's right. That's right. In the eighth inning on Friday and Saturday and Sunday, only. to come back every time and win. And so I'm going to pick the Yankees for that reason, but I get if you're saying yourself, well, the Red Sox are also pretty good. No, the Red Sox are the answer, because as you say, they were in last place in the American League.

And then they won nine in a row and 14 out of 16. And now they're a half a game out of the Wild Card. And so Red Sox fans are thrilled and also stunned. But let me get to the Nats for a second. Does the Yankees, if they had the Nats on the schedule all the time, they would never lose any games. The Nats led these three games over the weekend late, and they lost in the ninth, in the eighth,

because their bullpen is terrible. And this is what happened three weeks ago with the Phillies, where they lost in the ninth, the ninth, and the ninth. The Nats bullpen's ERA at home, from the eighth inning on, 808. That's not an area code, kids. That's their ERA.

808. They have already blown 27 out of 54 save opportunities. They're going to set a major league record at this pace for blown save opportunities. And Pablo, they lead the league in scoring. They're in all these games. They're winning late.

And no, and their bullpen stinks. Good. It stinks. Fixiation purple. That's the theme. Yeah. More intriguing recent fight, McGregor Holloway or Hero out of bio. Okay, so Hero Auto Bio is an internet thing.

I'll explain it to you because I don't think you're on the internet ever. Tyler Hero had like a secret second account in which he was criticizing Bam Auto Bio, Bam Out of Bio, apparently discovered it, validated its existence by the fact that he threw a punch, apparently at an AAU event at Tyler Hero. Of course, Tyler Hero no longer on the team. That feels both new and different and also the same if you follow the NBA. We've kind of seen versions of that before Jordan Poole, Draymond Green. I'm not so moved by it.

But the Connor McGregor thing, I say that because that is an instance in which he has about, I mean, you measure his performance in seconds before his leg gives out. And you're thinking to yourself, was everything even on the level here? That is an event that makes me wonder about the integrity of everything. And not because I have any evidence, just because it seems insane to me that this happened immediately after so much hype, which many people were betting on the guy. And so you're left wondering, what is the story here? And I continue to wonder that. Yeah, I don't care much for kickbox. And I had thought Connor McGregor retired to make whiskey. So I'm going to go to the other thing.

I talked to Greg Cody this morning, the Miami Herald. He told me all about autobi and hero. They had played together on the Miami Heat for seven years. They're very popular in the city of Miami. And as you say reportedly, Hero, after the trade for Yanos Santo Tocompo was direct messaging. I'm not sure I have that term right with some alleged fan. And he pointed out the inadequacies of Ata Bio's shooting and sometimes his defense. And Ata bio learned all about this and there were a summer league game. And Ata bio says hello by punching him in the head. Okay, punched him in there.

It's like, hey, how you doing? I haven't seen you a long time. I'm punching the head a couple of times. Now, I would love to side with Tyler Hero, but I can't because he's the antagonist in this or the protagonist. And as he started the whole thing. I think how to bio behaved terribly, but it's hard to blame him, given what had gone on. Enough of your email. Let's take one last break, but still to come, Yonik's Sinner comes back to win Wimbledon.

And Marty Fish, how do we not lead with this? Marty Fish won celebrity golf, but that's not even who you're here to talk about, Tony. No. I want to talk about other people in the celebrity golf. I mean, that's how you say hello to an old friend. You punch him in the face. I mean, he couldn't have seen him coming, right? He couldn't have, he couldn't. He said, well, maybe he's angry.

Maybe he's not going to punch me in the face. Boom. The next time. Lights out. See you. Yeah. Oh, he'll be ready to the next time. Right now, for a limited time, everyone's part of the Buick team, even you.

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Talk to Banner I didn't know you could get that big Spider-Man Brand New Day in theaters July 31st Happy time people Happy 70th birthday Michael Spinks Michael is the younger brother of Leon Spinks

giving them that rare household, where two kids grew up to be Olympic gold medalists and heavyweight champion of the world. Michael Spinks was first light heavyweight champ and then heavyweight champ, building a 31 and O record. But his career reached its Denhamah when Spinks was knocked out by Mike Tyson in just one minute, 31 seconds of the first round. I was there in Atlantic City. Spinks appeared uneasy in the corner, almost like he didn't want to come out. Tyson was all fury then, one of the most fearsome boxers ever. Spinks really never had a chance. And you know what?

He never fought again. And Spinks was legit. He had beaten Larry Holmes twice, I believe, had beaten Jerry Cooney. And so the force that Tyson was to end that man's career is extraordinary in retrospect. That was Tyson as a young man, yes. Happy anniversary American League All-Stars. On this day, 55 years ago, Johnny Bench, Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson, and Harmon Killebrew all hit home runs in the Major League All-Star game at Tiger Stadium. There were 22 Future Hall of Famers, a jaw-dropping number in that game that the American League won 6 to 4.

And Bench said, quote, it wasn't a game, it was the world. In 1971, the fans and managers picked all the guys who they were sure to be. in the Hall of Fame, unquote. The top highlight was Reggie Jackson, crushing a Doc Ellis pitch off the power generator on the right field roof. That's 520 feet from home play. I am going to make the third Doc Alice reference of this show,

I think, by pointing out that I thought that Doc Alice's career highlight was him throwing a no-hitter on LSD, but I've learned a lot today, and I should work some other things into that repertoire, I suppose. You could write a book about Doc Ellis, I would read it. Happy Trails Wimbled. Linda Nostkava needed three sets to take the title on the women's side over our fellow check,

Carolina Mujova. And on the men's side, Yonik Sinner had won 14 straight sets against Alexander's Varev, but fell in the first before bouncing back to win the next three. Sinter now has five grand slam titles, which sounds like a lot, until you realize Carlos Alcaraz has seven, even though he's missed the last two due to a wrist injury. No word yet as to whether Al Carras will make it back to Challenge Center at the U.S. Open, which starts in six weeks. Yeah, Sinner needed this one. If he didn't win this one, it would have been a letdown because of Alcaraz's absence. I also love that Djokovic, by the way, on the way out, was like, I think you guys are underestimating how good I've been, which is also maybe fair, although it's also not the

best person to give that message to the public, you know, the guy who's saying that about himself. So, let's go to the big finish. Frank Vol will joining Steve Kerr's coaching staff as a associate head coach. Is that significant? He's a human tea leaf. He coached LeBron to a title with the Lakers. So yes, former tennis player Marty Fish won his third celebrity golf tournament. Are you impressed? All right, friends of PTI in that tournament, Taylor Twelman 8, Nate Bargettze, 24th, Jay Billis, T48, Steve Young 55th, Charles Barkley, 69th, Rich Eisen, Ritch Eisen 88. Victor Weniamma, signed a max deal for 25% of the cap instead of a super max of 30%. What does that mean?

It means Jalen Brunton is making people take less money, and I might have more work to do as an investigator. Hey Ron, you won the Evian for her second straight major. Is that a big deal? She's only won two tournaments. They're both majors. She won in a playoff. She threw her 60 in the third round.

60. Home run tonight. Home run derby. Who you got, Pablo? Give me Ben Rice. Give me the guy who had a triple against your Nats. Give me the guy with the last name that has the same name as my favorite carbohydrate. Are you insane? You're not picking Swarver? He's a coiled snake out there. We're out of time. Try to do better than next time. I'm Tony Kornhizer.

And I'm Pablo Torre. Pablo Torre finds out as a show where I look into stuff.