Mexico: Football and Civilisation

What do a 2,000-year-old ball game and the biggest football match in modern Mexican history have in common?

In this episode I swap the fan parks for the ancient city of Teotihuacán, where a simple question about sport uncovers evidence of one of the earliest organised ball games ever played. Long before football, the people of central Mexico were playing with rubber balls beneath the shadow of the pyramids.

Back in Mexico City, World Cup fever is impossible to escape. Football shirts are everywhere, locals are counting down to England v Mexico, and bars are packed as Cape Verde threaten one of the shocks of the tournament against Argentina.

Along the way there are conversations with travellers, Australians dissecting another penalty shootout heartbreak, and an unforgettable chat with Andrés, a passionate Mexican fan who explains why his country is “crazy”, “surreal” and ready for what could become one of the biggest nights in its football history.

History, football and anticipation all collide as the road to the Azteca reaches its final stop.

Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
FAN48: fan48.info
Instagram: @fan48pod
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