Why can China build EVERYTHING, but not a World Cup team? | with Eric Hovagim【Roughly Chinese EP30】

China can build the trains, the stadiums, and probably move half of its population across the country without breaking a sweat. But why can’t it build a (men’s) World Cup team for the love of God? We spoke with Eric Hovagim about football nationalism, China’s men’s team, corruption, youth pipelines, and the vibes on and off the field. Of course, being Roughly Chinese, we can’t help but get into a bit of politics at the end, and our guest has some crazy predictions about the winner of the World Cup and the end of US empire. 00:00 - 01:33: intro 01:33 - 16:28: watching the World Cup when you also follow too much politics 16:28 - 38:50: why China never made it to the World Cup? 38:50 - 40:07: North Korean football 40:07 - 53:00: Red wave in NYC and “socialism with American characteristics”? 53:00 - 1:00:44: the World Cup will be the end of the U.S. empire For more news and stories about China, pls visit: https://thechinaacademy.org/ For podcast, search Wave Media wherever you get your podcast! For China travel, pls visit: https://chinanotjusttravel.com/ Check out Eric’s channel too if you want more from him: https://www.youtube.com/@EricHovagim #china #worldcup2026 #iran #mamdani #usa #roughlychinese