Welcome back to another high-energy episode of Mid-Day Maidaan, your ultimate stadium pass to the biggest sporting event on the planet! This week, Mid-day's Editor-in-Chief Sachin Kalbag staging a late-night intervention for our resident, sleep-deprived football fanatic and our Sports Editor Ashwin, who has been burning the midnight oil watching back-to-back 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM kickoffs. The verdict? The 48-team expansion is delivering one of the most unpredictable, thrilling tournaments in football history. The so-called "minnows" didn't get the memo that they were supposed to lose. We dive straight into the biggest sensation of the tournament: Cabo Verde (Cape Verde). We map their legendary 0-0 lock against powerhouse Spain to their chaotic 2-2 draw, spearheaded by their extraordinary 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper, Vozinha (Josimar Dias). Breaking records and defying modern athletic limitations, he went from 40,000 Instagram followers to over 15 million overnight—evoking core nostalgia of Roger Milla's iconic Italia '90 corner-flag jig. Also read: Iran hold Belgium to a draw with oldest starting XI in the FIFA World Cup since 1966 FIFA World Cup 2026 | 'I've always dreamed about being at a World Cup': Spain's rising star Lamine Yamal after win over Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup 2026: France's captain Kylian Mbappe backs Ballon d'Or winner Dembele ahead of Iraq clash

Welcome back to Mid-Day Maidaan, your ultimate stadium pass to everything happening in the world of sports. The FIFA World Cup 2026 has officially commenced, bringing an unprecedented level of scale, drama, and expansion to the beautiful game. For the first time in football history, 48 teams are battling it out across three host nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—meaning a mammoth 104 matches packed into a grueling 39-day summer schedule. In this episode, our sports desk dives deep into the tournament openers and analyzes the brand-new structural layout. With 12 groups of four, the race to progress is more chaotic than ever, as even the best third-placed teams get a lifeline into a brand-new Round of 32. We look at the absolute must-watch group phase blockbuster fixtures, including France vs. Erling Haaland's Norway and England's high-stakes reunion with Croatia. In this episode, we discuss- The Senegal team's not-so-warm welcome How Geopolitics affects global sports Biggest highlights of the season.

Coming soon...

Welcome to the premier episode of The Mid-Day Maidaan sports podcast, your ultimate arena for deep-dive sports analysis! In this inaugural episode, Mid-day's Editor-in-Chief Sachin Kalbag and Sports Editor Ashwin Ferro pull up their chairs to dissect the massive, high-stakes drama of the IPL 2026 Grand Finale. It was a season for the history books, but the conversation goes far beyond just who lifted the championship trophy.The duo dives deep into the tournament's absolute biggest talking points: 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Sooryavanshi's jaw-dropping run, shattering Chris Gayle's legendary 14-year-old record Breaking down the chances of his entry into the national team Links: 'Phenomenal!': Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle react to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive IPL 2026 innings Connect With Us: Read Mid-day Sports @ mid-day.com/sports Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/middayindia Get latest updates on Instagram: @middayindia Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@middayindia