With two high-quality podcast series, ICONS and LEGACY, GOAL, the global football media brand of Footballco, kicks off a long-term content initiative in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These podcasts, which will be distributed internationally, combine historical depth, expert storytelling, and AI-powered customization for local editions. For media professionals and event organizers, this project signals how audio formats can be strategically leveraged to elevate fan engagement to new heights.
These two football podcast series are designed to stir excitement for the 2026 World Cup while enhancing fan engagement:
ICONS: Iconic Moments and Stories
The ICONS podcast series, launched on December 4, features ten episodes that revisit key moments from the last ten World Cups, offering a fresh take on 40 years of World Cup history. This format delves into iconic moments and stories, including:
- Ronaldo Nazário’s legendary haircut at the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea
- The much-debated Jabulani ball at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
- The curious story of the Argentine team’s street market-bought jerseys at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico
Rather than being a mere retrospective, ICONS serves as an atmospheric and emotional entry point into the cultural mythology surrounding the FIFA World Cup.
LEGACY: National Identities & Football Cultures
Starting December 16, LEGACY – a more extensive podcast project with 26 episodes – will explore the following themes:
- Football cultures and national narratives
- Historical highlights and crises
- Football dynasties and their turning points
- Country profiles: From Germany to Ghana to Mexico
Among other topics, the series will examine Spain’s tradition of producing football prodigies, Italy’s painful recent drought, and the turbulent history of the French national team (Equipe Tricolore).
ICONS and LEGACY: Multilingual and AI-Enhanced Content
The GOAL World Cup podcasts mark the beginning of a new era in podcasting, particularly due to their multilingual approach and the experimental use of AI to adapt content for local editions.
Both podcasts will be available in eight languages: English, German, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and French. In an innovative move, Footballco is experimenting with the French edition: While seven out of eight local language versions will be narrated by native speakers, the French version will be told by a member of the Brazilian GOAL team in Portuguese. The voice will then be converted to French using ElevenLabs' synthetic AI speech software, which preserves the emotion, tone, timing, and unique delivery of the original speaker. The result is an audio narrative that is indistinguishable from a human reading, with content accuracy verified by the GOAL editorial team.
For global publishers, this project demonstrates how AI can reduce the workload of local content adaptations while maintaining authentic content quality.
Looking Ahead: A Long-Term Audio Project
ICONS and LEGACY will enter their second phase after the 2026 World Cup. Starting next summer, the podcasts will cover more tournaments, leagues, and iconic football moments. GOAL plans to position its podcasts as a permanent, international core format that introduces and accompanies sports events with high-quality audio content – thus raising fan engagement to new levels.
Editorial Take for the Event and Media Industry
With the ICONS and LEGACY podcasts, Footballco shows how major events and sports tournaments can be strategically prepared for and accompanied by continuous audio formats.
The key highlights of these new audio projects include:
- Consistent multilingual content for global audiences
- AI-assisted localization as a scaling strategy
- In-depth content that goes beyond the traditional World Cup hype
- A long-term format structure that extends beyond the World Cup
For publishers, brands, and event organizers, the podcast series serves as a best-practice example of how emotional storytelling around major sporting events can succeed on an international level – both in terms of content and production quality.
About Footballco:
Footballco is an international media and cultural company specializing in football. It is best known for brands such as GOAL, Voetbalzone, Calciomercato, Kooora, Spox, and MUNDIAL, as well as the web video player "FC Player." Footballco’s portfolio reaches over 720 million football fans worldwide each month. The company is majority-owned by Integrated Media Company (IMC), an affiliate of the US private equity giant TPG, with DAZN Group holding a minority stake.
Cover Image: GOAL Launches New Podcasts ICONS and LEGACY for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Copyright: Footballco)
Related Topics: FIFA World Cup 2026, GOAL Podcasts, World Cup Podcasts, ICONS Podcast, LEGACY Podcast, AI-assisted podcast, multilingual podcasts, podcast production, football history, World Cup, football moments, storytelling, international football fans, podcast initiative, Footballco, fan engagement, event marketing, media marketing, anticipation for the 2026 World Cup, World Cup Runup, Event Content
Summary: GOAL has launched a global podcast initiative for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the ICONS and LEGACY series. The podcasts feature historical World Cup stories, iconic tournament moments, and insights into important national football cultures. The multilingual editions are AI-powered, designed to engage and inspire fans around the world.
Please note: This text was translated from the German EventMasterBook.de Event Magazine (see article: GOAL startet Podcast-Offensive zur WM 2026). Please excuse any translation errors.
