The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the biggest ever: 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations. But off the pitch, this might be the most controversial tournament in memory. In this episode of Nelson John 360, Nelson John breaks down three stories the highlight reels are skipping, and finds the India thread running through each one.

First, the broadcast firesale: how a country of 1.4 billion almost had no World Cup broadcaster, why FIFA's asking price collapsed from $100 million to around $40 million, and what cricket, ad inventory, and midnight kickoffs have to do with it. Then the ticket scandal: dynamic pricing, $33,000 face-value final seats, resale listings in the millions, the New York and New Jersey investigations, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino's now-infamous hot dog quip. And finally the border: travel bans, fans turned away despite holding tickets, the FIFA Pass, and what it all means for the Indian diaspora living inside America's tightening immigration system.

A clear-eyed, multi sourced look at who the World Cup is really for now, with conviction and a take you can argue with.

Chapters:

The country that almost couldn't watch

Why India's rights collapsed

$2 million seats and the hot dog

The fans turned away at the border

The take: growth vs access

Listen to the full audio episode wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes regularly on India and the world, explained.

#FIFAWorldCup2026 #WorldCup2026 #FootballInIndia #FIFA

This is a video episode, catch the video on Nelson John 360 Youtube Channel

A small Bangalore jewellery shop became a Fortune 500 gold giant, then SEBI alleged that nearly ₹15 lakh crore of its revenue couldn't be verified. This episode breaks down the full Rajesh Exports story: the missing money, the broker who says the trades never happened, the fund routing, the African mine, and the Telangana factory that never got built and why it matters to ordinary investors, including LIC.

Note: SEBI's order is interim; these are allegations, not proven findings. The company denies wrongdoing. For information only, not investment advice.

For years, pancreatic cancer offered patients very little. A new drug could be changing that, nearly doubling how long patients live. But is it a cure, and who can actually get it? Today, Nelson breaks it down for you in plain, easy to understand language, no medical jargon needed.