The 2026 World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City. It’ll be the largest in FIFA’s history, spanning three host countries and 48 competing teams and is expected to generate between $11 and $13 billion.

But the tournament’s expansion comes at the expense of fans navigating a new dynamic pricing model and cities shouldering overhead costs. On today’s Big Take, host David Gura, Bloomberg’s Vanessa Perdomo and economist Andrew Zimbalist track who stands to profit the most from the people’s game.

Read more: The Hidden Cost of the Most Expensive World Cup Ever

Listen more: The "Americanization" of the World Cup - The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly

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Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox with help from Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Victor Swezey; Reported by Vanessa Perdomo; Edited by Aaron Edwards.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Emma Munger.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Weddings are famously expensive. But with consumer prices on the rise and inflation accelerating at its fastest pace in three years last month, 2026’s newlyweds face exceptionally high prices.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg’s Josyana Joshua and Dina Katgara unpack the $100 billion wedding economy: how much nuptials could set you back, why discretionary spending on weddings has remained stable on either end of the K-shaped economy and why witches—yes, witches—are showing up at the altar.

Read more: Brides Are Turning to Etsy Witches for Wedding Weather Spells

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Reported by Josyana Joshua and Dina Katgara; Edited by Tracey Samuelson.

Fact-checking by Julia Press and David Fox; Engineering by Alex Seguira.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Offshore trading has long given Chinese investors access to global markets — often through legal gray areas. Now, Beijing is stepping in with its biggest crackdown in decades.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks with Bloomberg’s Lulu Chen about the sweeping restrictions and why Beijing is tightening controls over money leaving the country. We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Read more: China Targets Offshore Billions in Biggest Crackdown in Decades

Hosted by K. Oanh Ha; Produced by Naomi Ng, Yang Yang; Reported by Lulu Chen; Edited by Paddy Hirsch.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky, Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Taka Yasuzawa.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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The field for 2026 US midterm elections is coming into focus, with key primaries this week in Maine and South Carolina, as well as bellwether state elections in California.

On today’s Big Take podcast, hosts Sarah Holder and David Gura check in with political correspondent Nancy Cook and California reporter Eliyahu Kamisher about what this week’s results — and the next five months — mean for midterm elections with the potential to profoundly shape US politics.

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Hosted by Sarah Holder and David Gura; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Nancy Cook and Eliyahu Kamisher; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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Jill Ellis has seen soccer from every angle: as an elite player, as the two-time World Cup champion coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team and as an NWSL team president. She is bringing this expertise to FIFA as the organization’s first Chief Football Officer. As one of the chief architects of the global game, she is the ultimate World Cup insider.

In this episode of The Deal, Jill tells Jason and Alex what is worrying and exciting her leading up to the kick off of the 2026 World Cup on June 11th (yes, we talk about ticket prices). She shares some facts and figures around what FIFA is expecting in terms of viewership and revenue. Jill also has her eye toward next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, telling us about a monumental deal with Netflix and why she is anticipating unprecedented interest in the event.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube.

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By many metrics, Meta is falling behind in the AI race. So CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building one of the largest data centers in the world — a facility the size of about 3,000 football fields in one of the poorest regions in the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host Sarah Holder sits down with Bloomberg reporter Riley Griffin, who traveled to Richland Parish, Louisiana, to hear from residents about the risks and opportunities they see as Meta comes to town. Will they reap the benefits? Or trade in one uncertain economy for another?

Read more: Meta Goes Big on the Bayou

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Julia Press; Reported by Riley Griffin; Edited by Aaron Edwards.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe and Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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President Rodrigo Paz ended 20 years of socialist rule in Bolivia with promises of unity, democracy and prosperity — and plans to tap the country’s mineral wealth. But when host David Gura went to Bolivia to interview the president, he found a harsher reality: demonstrators blockading La Paz’s streets to demand the president’s resignation.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Gura shows how centuries-old distrust of government is complicating President Paz’s efforts to persuade Bolivians – and investors – that this time is different.

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Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox; Reported by David Gura and Sergio Mendoza; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott and Tracey Samuelson.

Fact-checking by Rachael Lewis-Krisky and Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

Special thanks to Simon Hampton, Javier Castaneda, Luke Mailander and Adonai Sierra.

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For more than a decade, the towns north of Dallas, Texas – places like Frisco, Prosper and Celina – have seen an unprecedented housing boom, thanks in part to Indian workers drawn by skilled tech jobs and employers who sponsored their H-1B visas. But in the past year, the market for these houses has fallen and some of Texas’ biggest boomtowns have gone bust.

On today’s Big Take podcast, US housing reporter Prashant Gopal and host Sarah Holder unpack the forces underpinning a growing real estate crisis in Dallas-Forth Worth. They examine how changes to the H-1B visa program forced some residents to rethink their futures and what the dramatic pull back could mean for some of the newest suburbs.

This episode contains mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, a global list of help lines is available at blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/

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Hosted by Sarah Holder; Produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky; Reported by Prashant Gopal and Tanaz Meghjani; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

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