‘Men in Blazers’ podcast coming to Philadelphia a month before the World Cup begins

Philadelphia just added another entry to its list of soccer events ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Men in Blazers, a soccer podcast that covers the U.S. national soccer teams and the English Premier League, will return to Philadelphia for the first time since 2022, the podcast announced Tuesday.

The podcast’s live taping, hosted by journalist Roger Bennett, will take place at Franklin Music Hall on May 12, 30 days before the World Cup kicks off in Mexico City on June 11. The show in Philly is part of the podcast’s Countdown Tour, which has made stops in San Francisco, Houston, and Atlanta this year.

“We cannot wait to be in Philadelphia, one of our favorite cities in the U.S., to count down 30 days until the World Cup with a live show, special guests, and a celebration in your magical kingdom built in equal parts liberty, Wawas, and the cry ‘Fly, Eagles, Fly,’” Bennett said in a statement to The Inquirer. “We will revel in a place that knows and loves proper football — so many Aaronsons have come from here, we’ve lost count. But more than that, we’re coming to celebrate the spirit of the city’s fandom. A fandom that knows how to suffer, or even feel doomed — yet still rises to seize its moment and taste glory.

“It’s a spirit that gives hope to every fan of every team, even the United States men’s national team. We can’t wait to come together and tell the story of your city before the world’s spotlight falls upon it and eat all the Jim’s cheesesteaks that we can — as we intend to. Hopefully, we’ll all soon be climbing the Crisco-covered street poles in celebration of a World Cup victory.”

Philadelphia will host six World Cup games at Lincoln Financial Field this summer, beginning with a Group E match between Ivory Coast and Ecuador on June 14. FIFA is also bringing a Fan Zone for the duration of the tournament to the Lemon Hill section of Fairmount Park.

Men in Blazers began in 2014 as a soccer podcast hosted by Bennett and Michael Davies. Since then, the podcast has grown into an independent media network that produces content about the English Premier League, the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams, and international competitions across North America and South America.

The network last brought its flagship podcast to Philadelphia for a live recording during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, capturing live reaction from the USMNT’s 0-0 draw with England in Qatar.

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The taping in May does not revolve around a specific USMNT matchup, but instead will mark a month until the inaugural 48-team World Cup. Men in Blazers did not name any guests who will join Bennett on stage, although previous stops on the Countdown Tour included an appearance from former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt in Houston and former USMNT striker Clint Dempsey and rapper Big Boi in Atlanta.

Tickets for the live show at 7:30 p.m. are available through AXS.