Ranking the World Cup Final: Argentina vs Spain

Hello Rank Squad!  It's time to bring the Transfer Guru firmly back into play with the World Cup done and dusted - and Dean's been keeping an eye on the biggest transfers that have taken place both during the tournament and after it finished. With that in mind, we talk through the big deals involved in Tottenham Hotspur's complete revamp, and Manchester United's midfield refresh; before heading onwards to discuss the changes at Chelsea, including Morgan Rogers' British record transfer move, the deal it eclipsed in Elliot Anderson's shift to Manchester City, Real Madrid's defensive rebuild (and what happens next), Villa replacing beautifully like-for-like, and Bayern doing what they do best in the market for good measure.  Then, Jack takes us on a little tour of 10 deals he likes this summer that might have just slipped under your radar, from Leeds' superstar new centre-back addition, to Griezmann's replacement at Atletico Madrid, a young Belgian superstar off to Germany, some free transfers to Premier League midfields, and a veteran striking presence set to light things up for the returning Deportivo La Coruña.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!  We've got a special guest for you today, as we're joined by the man who covered the World Cup like no other - Casey Settleman of Snapback Sports, who went to a World Cup game every day of the tournament, criss-crossing the three host countries and getting acquainted with the 48 fanbases across the tournament.  Today he joins Jack to look back at the adventure of a lifetime, as well as doing a bunch of mini-rankings to give a better feel for what life was like in the thick of the action. Casey ranks his favourite games, stadia, fanbases, individual performances, match atmospheres and concession food from across a World Cup odyssey - and we have a chat too through a few of the other elements in the equation.  It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Here's a little bit of a bonus episode looking back at the World Cup final, where Spain triumphed 1-0 over Argentina thanks to a Ferran Torres winner in extra time, as the comprehensively better side on the day lifted the trophy, and opened up the conversation again about a cohesive collective being stronger than the stardust of the individual. We take a look back at both sides of the final and how it played out, taking a couple of questions on each from our Postbox episode on our Patreon.  We also discuss our Team of the Tournament, some winners and losers from the World Cup, and the legacy that it will hold in the USA and beyond. We'd love to have you over on the Patreon, where our Ultras get two extra episodes a week, your questions answered on the Postbox and thus, the ability to direct the flow of the conversation; and plenty more all summer long, including Dean's transfer notebook and special Q&A episodes; and there's loads more on there too in the full version of this episode (which is almost double the length!) - with a discussion of England after the Bronze Medal Match, and a brilliant story from one of our listeners about the life-changing experience of watching this World Cup in Costa Rica. The link is below, or you can search Ranks FC on the Patreon app - where you'll be able to integrate those episodes on Spotify, Apple Music, or the like.  It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!  We're back with our final show from within the 2026 World Cup, looking ahead to the final on Sunday between Spain and Argentina. We take each team individually, reflecting on their performances in their semi-finals and the games leading up to them, discuss how we think this battle might play out, and give some predictions for good measure.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Ultras!  There are just eight teams remaining in this World Cup, so with that, there are some teams that are going to be deeply disappointed in their performances - either over the tournament as a whole, or in an individual game performance that saw them eliminated from the competition. We take a look through what we believe to be some of the biggest letdowns of this World Cup up to this point.  Before that, we discuss Argentina's dramatic and controversial comeback win over Egypt, where we lean on friend of the podcast Usef for his views from an Egyptian perspective, and break down what happened in Atlanta.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Welcome back to another World Cup episode of the show, where we take a look back at the Round of 32. First we say a fond farewell to some of our favourite teams of this tournament, notably Cape Verde after their incredible performance against Argentina, as well as Cote d'Ivoire, and a youthful Australia who surpassed many expectations.  In Part Two, we examine the two pre-tournament favourites in Spain and France, and see if they still sit in those positions in the pantheon, as well as trying to work out who would fill the other podium spot for the time being.  And then in Part Three, we take a look at the other two hosts in Mexico and Canada, examine where expectations lie for them, and also see if there are any dark horses left in the World Cup.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!  We decided, given the schedule is a bit mad these days, to try and bring some shorter fun to life here on Ranks FC. Now, we know that the vast majority of our listeners are in the US & England; so we thought that the day after both sides qualified for the Round of 16 - the USMNT with a 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzogovina, and England with a 2-1 win over DR Congo - that we would take a bit of a deeper dive into these two sides. We take a look at the good, the bad, and the question marks hanging over both as they face up to their toughest tests yet in the Last 16, as well as just feeling our way through where both sit within the wider pantheon.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!  Now that the second round of games is done and dusted, we're back to examine what we've seen - from both a team and an individual perspective. We start with some of the risers and fallers in the World Cup stakes, examining which countries' stocks have fallen and risen; before turning our attention to the players who have put their own names up in lights ahead of what will undoubtedly be a busy summer of transfer activity.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad!  A slightly delayed main episode this week because we wanted to see all 48 nations play at least once in the World Cup before making any sweeping assertions, so here's our take on the first round of games now that every team has seen the pitch!  In Part One, we start with a look at the pre-tournament favourites who impressed us most in their opening encounters, who lived up to the hype and have got their fanbases very excited.  In Part Two, we dive into the team performances that got the juices flowing - from the underdogs and middleweights who either exceeded expectations or straight up flipped the script on what they put together, as well as a quick peek at three standout individual performances who lit up the biggest stage.  And in Part Three, we examine three heavy hitters who now have serious questions to answer after underperforming in their openers, as well as putting in some predictions for the group stage and beyond.  There are daily drops happening on the Ranks FC Patreon, which is linked below, if you want more from us over the course of this World Cup - reacting to the games as they happen and taking the lead from our listeners on what they want discussed, and we'd love to have you as part of it!  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Rank Squad! Here's the final editions of our four World Cup preview shows, where we look through the final three groups and give our thoughts on each of the four teams in each. Jack and Dean are back together to wrap things up from the preview side.  Starting in Group J we take a look at reigning champions Argentina, discussing whether a very similar squad to 2022 could retain this trophy; before turning our attention to what looks like an intriguing battle between a talented but mostly untested Algeria and an incredibly well-drilled Austria for second place; and newcomers Jordan who might just fancy their chances of landing a counterpunch or two.  In Group K, we talk through whether this is finally the moment that Portugal step up to the World Cup plate in what seems to be Cristiano Ronaldo's final attempt at the big one; if Luis Diaz's Colombia can spring a surprise or two in the latter stages; and which of Uzbekistan and DR Congo might get the better of each other, or either or the two big boys in the group.  And then rounding things off in Group L, there's a discussion about England under Thomas Tuchel and what Dean's expecting from his Three Lions; as well as a Croatia team who are in a slight transition period but should never be underestimated on this World Cup stage; and a quick look at a Ghana side in a really strange state of disarray, and a well-drilled but somewhat underpowered Panama.  Keep an eye on this plenty more over the course of the World Cup and if you missed them, check out our Groups A-C preview with Dougie Critchley, our Groups D-F preview with Austin Miller, and Groups G-I preview with the boys.  It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.