E124: [TEASER] Fireside Chat - World Cup of Chaos

E124: [TEASER] Fireside Chat - World Cup of Chaos

Author: Working Class History July 20, 2026 Duration: 25:09
Fireside Chat podcast available exclusively for our Patreon supporters we invited back Tomas Rothaus (from our Argentina 2001 episodes) to discuss football, politics, and the chaotic mess of the World Cup in Donald Trump's USA.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes, ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Recorded before the competition started,we discussed the many contradictions of being a radical football fan, the excitement of attending previous World Cups, the way various authoritarian regimes have utilised football for their own ends, and the many players and managers (past and present) who have believed in fairer society for all.

Listen to the full 92-minute episode here:

More information
Acknowledgements
  • Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Fellow Worker and Jazz Hands.
  • Edited by Jesse French
  • Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
You can listen to all of our Patreon-exclusive podcast episodes by joining us on Patreon at patreon.com/workingclasshistory

Podcast Episodes
E104: Pirates, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:07
Second of a double podcast about the Golden Age of Piracy, with historian Marcus Rediker. Our podcast is brought to you by our patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to…
E103: Pirates, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:02
First in a double podcast about the Golden Age of Piracy, with historian Marcus Rediker. The legendary pirates of this era weren’t just thieves—they were daring rebels challenging the very systems of power and authority…
E102: [TEASER] Fireside Chat – Luigi Mangione [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:21
This is a teaser preview of one of our Fireside Chat episodes, made exclusively for our supporters on Patreon. You can listen to the full 65-minute episode without ads and support our work at https://www.patreon.com/post…
WCL11: Florence Working-Class Literature Festival, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:46
Part 2 of our double-episode about the Working-Class Literature Festival held every year in Florence, at the former GKN car parts factory, which was taken over by the workers after they were made redundant in 2021.We're…
WCL10: Florence Working-Class Literature Festival, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:27
First of a double-episode podcast about the Working-Class Literature Festival held every year in Florence, at the former GKN car parts factory, which was taken over by the workers after they were made redundant in 2021.I…
E100: Vietnam War strike wave, part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:38
With the background of the Vietnam war, rising prices and stagnant wages, workers in the US began to ignore calls to support the war effort and keep working, and instead launch a wave of wildcat strikes in key industries…
E99: Vietnam War strike wave, part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:16
With the background of the Vietnam war, rising prices and stagnant wages, workers in the US began to ignore calls to support the war effort and keep working, and instead launch a wave of wildcat strikes in key industries…