Messi Takes England Out of the World Cup, Plus Preparing for Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey' With Ian Wright, Anthony Dabbundo, and Sean Fennessey

The Bill Simmons Podcast

The Ringer

Sports

4.4 • 30.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2026

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Summary

In this special episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, guest host Chris Ryan is joined by Arsenal legend Ian Wright to react to Argentina defeating England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinals. Then, Anthony Dabbundo joins the pod to preview the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Finally, Sean Fennessey hops on to talk ‘The Odyssey’ and Christopher Nolan. (0:00) Intro (2:57) Argentina eliminates England, with Ian Wright (34:47) World Cup final preview with Anthony Dabbundo (55:21) Sean Fennessey on ‘The Odyssey’ Host: Chris Ryan Guests: Ian Wright, Anthony Dabbundo, and Sean Fennessey Producers: Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Chris Wohlers Brought to you by PayPal. Learn more at paypal.comAs the Official Beer Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 26, Michelob ULTRA away $1million in FIFA World Cup tickets and prizes. https://www.michelobultra.com/superioraccess/FIFAWORLDCUP26 MICHELOB ULTRA® FIFA® WORLD CUP 26TM SUPERIOR ACCESS. No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 21+. Begins on 12/1/25 and ends on 7/31/26. Multiple entry periods. Visit https://www.michelobultra.com/superioraccess/FIFAWORLDCUP26 for free entry, entry deadlines, and Official Rules. Message and data rates may apply. Void where prohibited.The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit https://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Bill Simmons podcast is brought to you by PayPal and is hosted today by Chris Ryan.
0:12.0	What's up? I am filling in for Bill while he is away. And today on the podcast, we're talking
0:18.8	the two things that matter most in the world to me, the World
0:22.7	Cup, and the Odyssey for the World Cup. I talked to Ian Wright, former Arsenal legend,
0:29.4	current UK media pundit for Stick to Football and our own podcast, Crossways, over here at the
0:36.5	Ringer podcast Network.
0:38.7	Ian is a legend of the English game and was nice enough to join me to talk about
0:43.0	England's loss to Argentina in that incredibly thrilling semi-final.
0:47.9	We talked a little bit about Spain and France and the final that's coming up on Sunday
0:52.5	between Spain and Argentina.
0:54.0	But I talked more in depth about the final with Anthony coming up on Sunday between Spain and Argentina. But I talked
0:54.5	more in depth about the final with Anthony Dubundo, who joined me after Ian. And then I wrap
0:59.9	things up with a long chat with Sean Fennacy about the Odyssey. There's no spoilers in that.
1:05.6	It's mostly a Christopher Nolan conversation. But since that is sort of the movie event of the year, I thought,
1:12.6	what better time to talk about it and who better to talk about it with than the co-host
1:17.4	of the big picture. You can also listen to me on The Watch on Mondays and Thursdays, and I'm
1:24.2	going to be doing one more podcast with Adam Friedland on The Beautiful Pod on Friday.
1:30.1	We're going to be talking about the tournament as a whole and previewing Sunday's action.
1:34.2	Bill will be back on Sunday.
1:36.0	I think Anthony Dubundo and I are going to join him after the World Cup final.
1:39.8	So we'll be coming to you probably live after that match.
1:43.3	I hope everybody has a great weekend,
	...

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