The men's football World Cup kicks off in Mexico
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 12 June 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After months of waiting the World Cup is finally underway with the first match held in Mexico where the co-hosts played South Africa following an opening ceremony that featured a performance from Shakira. The United States and Canada will also be home to football's biggest competition which the organisers hope will be a focus for sport rather than politics and controversy. Also, President Trump cancels an attack on Iran and claims that a deal to end the war is not only imminent but has the backing of the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. But Tehran said this was all "speculation". One year on from the Air India crash in Ahmedabad our correspondent reports on the discovery that some human remains were wrongly identified. Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies more than three years after she fell into a coma, Brussels will ban public e-scooters and the kill switch on iPhones which could deter thieves in London from stealing them.
The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Mexico fans Caramelo and Caramelo Junior are seen inside the stadium before the match. Credit: REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | If American politics is leaving you with a lot of questions, you're not alone. |
| 0:12.2 | On America's, we chat through what's really going on. |
| 0:15.3 | Make sense of what's happening in the US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. |
| 0:20.6 | America's, listen on BBC Sounds. This is the Glacetka. US, with new podcast episodes arriving throughout the week. America. |
| 0:21.4 | Listen on BBC Science. |
| 0:23.8 | This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:30.3 | I'm Alex Ritson, and in the early hours of Friday the 12th of June, these are our main stories. |
| 0:37.3 | The FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico City with a star-studded ceremony and dramatic opening |
| 0:43.4 | match. |
| 0:44.3 | And President Trump says he's called off-planned US attacks on Iran, claiming they're close to a peace deal, |
| 0:50.0 | but Tehran says it hasn't reached a final decision. |
| 0:56.2 | Also in this podcast, |
| 0:58.7 | I was inside the mortuary ward trying to identify the bodies, |
| 1:04.3 | trying to find the child and my loved ones. |
| 1:07.3 | The bodies I saw still keep spinning in my head. |
| 1:11.8 | I can't sleep. |
| 1:17.4 | We return to Ahmedabad on the anniversary of the Air India plane crash. |
| 1:20.8 | And Brussels hits the brakes on e-scooters. |
| 1:32.4 | With three host nations, 48 teams and 104 matches, it's the biggest World Cup ever, |
| 1:37.1 | and likely one of the most controversial with rouse over ticket prices, |
| 1:41.8 | the ongoing war between the US and Iran, as well as visa issues for fans and even a prominent referee. |
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