The Happy Pod: The decades long wait for the World Cup

We now know the 48 nations that will be competing in the summer's Fifa World Cup. The final two sides to qualify - Iraq and the DRC - have each waited decades to return to the competition. We hear from jubilant fans of both teams.

Also, a small rural village in South Korea, which is at risk of extinction, is celebrating the birth of a baby for the first time in 17 years. A community in Washington DC has come together to rebuild a bookshop that was destroyed in a fire. An ancient abbey in the north of England is experiencing a tourism boost thanks to a Taiwanese pop star. A British schoolgirl has invented a pair of glasses designed to help people with dyslexia. In Japan, people have been taking part in a Grand Prix like no other: an office chair race.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs.
Music: Hampson

(Photo: Iraqi soccer fans celebrate after their team qualified for the Fifa World Cup 2026, Baghdad, Iraq, 1 April 2026. Credit: Ceerwan Aziz/EPA/Shutterstock)