World Cup fever will build in the coming weeks, especially in Hispanic communities, and that is ushering in a new soccer podcast from iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network that will be in both English and Spanish. My Cultura is teaming with Exile Content Studio to produce the 12-episode The Best Soccer Podcast in the World. The podcast will guide the listener through the most memorable moments and players of the 92-year-old FIFA World Cup, which has grown into a behemoth, commanding a global viewership of 3.5 billion people. This podcast series will spotlight the great players who have forever changed the tournament as viewers across the globe get ready to enjoy the 2022 competition taking place in Qatar.
The podcast reunites executive producer and host, Exile's Head of Studio, Nando Vila, and producer and writer, Zac Lee Rigg, who together were responsible for Fusion’s weekly magazine show, “The Soccer Gods,” and the political sketch comedy show, “Happy Ending.” Ana Isabel Octavio also serves as the series producer, along with executive producers Rose Reid of Exile and Gisselle Bances and Arlene Santana of iHeartMedia’s My Cultura. The series will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.
“Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and every four years, the FIFA World Cup assumes its rightful place as the most anticipated soccer event worldwide, uniting fans across the globe with a celebration of what’s become known as ‘the beautiful game,’ like none other,” said Vila. “That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to launch The Best Soccer Podcast in the World at a time when the world is quickly and fervently turning its attention to all things World Cup, and to do our part to satisfy fan’s insatiable demand for high quality, engaging soccer-related content.”
In addition to co-creating and hosting “The Soccer Gods” with Rigg, the Miami-born and raised Vila executive produced, created, and hosted the podcast We Came to Win for Gimlet Media. Before that, Vila created and hosted Fusion’s “Midterm Mayhem: The Ultimate Political Smackdown” alongside Kal Penn, and he also served as the executive producer of the Emmy-nominated documentary “The Naked Truth: Trumpland,” which profiled the people who fueled the Trump candidacy. Rigg, who produced Fusion’s most-viewed video, with more than 28 million views, has written for Goal.com, Simon & Schuster, ESPN, Robert Reich, The New York Times, and FourFourTwo.
“We’re thrilled that Nando and Zac have teamed up once again for this podcast series, which should be required listening for fans of sports in general, and soccer in particular, as well as podcast fans who are just curious about this global phenomenon,” said Daniel Batista, Exile’s Chief Digital Officer. “Together, they’ve proved to be a team that can break down a world phenomenon like the World Cup in a fun, engaging, and meaningful way, and we know anyone who gets caught up in the fervor of the competition will quickly get caught up in the tales shared in The Best Soccer Podcast in the World.”
The podcast is distributed by iHeartPodcast and becomes the latest bilingual series from its My Cultura.
“The excitement building up to the 2022 World Cup is palpable. We’re excited to bring this show to fans in English and Spanish and build on the importance of generational listening for our growing Latinx audience,” said Gisselle Bances, SVP, Head of Production and Development for iHeart’s My Cultura. “This podcast is for everyone to enjoy and provides a platform for two proven and absolutely engaging storytellers to offer all of us a deep dive into the world of soccer, starting with some of the greatest players to take the field - and the legacies they left behind.”
The Best Soccer Podcast in the World will be released on a weekly basis for 12 weeks.