From hydration breaks and VAR decisions to red cards, offside technology, refereeing decisions, political questions, and everything in between — we’re counting down the 11 biggest controversies surrounding the tournament.

In this episode of Beyond the Eleven, Shaun and Kevin take a rapid-fire “Take It or Leave It” approach to the moments that had the football world talking.

Which decisions were justified?
Which ones crossed the line?
And what could these controversies mean for the future of the game?

🎙️ Watch the 11-minute episode now.

Want the full conversation, context, and debate?

▶️ Watch the extended version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K6nvNjRcHuI

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Show Notes

• Shaun and Kevin count down the 11 biggest controversies surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• The episode uses a “Take It or Leave It” approach to debate the decisions, incidents and issues shaping the tournament.
• FIFA’s Peace Prize decision and whether it crossed the organization’s own boundaries.
• World Cup seeding and whether FIFA’s format is successfully keeping the strongest teams apart.
• Mandatory hydration breaks and the balance between player welfare, tactical advantages and commercial interests.
• Cristiano Ronaldo’s three-match suspension and the decision to defer two matches.
• The attempted rescheduling of Mexico vs. England at the Estadio Azteca due to weather.
• VAR and semi-automated offside technology, including the Algeria/Austria and Iran/New Zealand controversies.
• The Sky Cam cable incident during England vs. Norway.
• Croatia vs. Portugal and the role of ball technology and VAR in a late-game decision.
• Argentina vs. Egypt and the controversial VAR review of a foul much earlier in the build-up to a goal.
• Argentina’s controversial red-card incident and how playing against 10 men changed the match.
• Balogun’s red card, the disciplinary process and the decision to issue a one-game suspension.
• The broader question of how technology, refereeing, discipline, commercial interests and governance are changing football.
• A look ahead to the next episode, focused on the business and financial side of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

104 matches. 48 teams. Three host nations. One champion.

Thirty nine days after the final whistle, Shaun Harris and Kevin Meridth take eleven minutes to break down the first 48 team World Cup: what actually happened, what it cost, and what gets left behind.

In this episode:

• The group stage moments that stuck, from Curacao's first ever point to Cape Verde's arrival
• Vozinha's tournament, and how a goalkeeper turned one performance into a career change
• Mexico's nine points and zero goals conceded, and why the economic return may be the biggest of the three hosts
• Canada's first ever World Cup win, and the harder question underneath it
• The USA's 4-1 opener against Paraguay, and the ten changes that ended the run
• Africa's record group stage and why Morocco is now top of the list going into 2030
• 1994 versus 2026, the attendance record, and the American culture shift
• Best moment, biggest disappointment, and the surprise nobody predicted

Next week: the 11 Controversies of WC26, counted down from eleven to one.

Beyond the 11 is the conversation platform of ID11 Media. Conversations that change the game. The best 11 minutes in sport and business.

Presented by ID11 and the ScoreUSA Foundation. Recorded on campus at Chapman University, Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics.

Follow: @id11_media | @SGP_id11