Bacary Sagna: France to dominate World Cup, Playing in America, Friendship with Arteta

Welcome to Episode 1 of ‘The Gulf News World Cup Podcast’, a seven-part series dedicated to the build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. To kick things off, hosts Rob Ilsley and Shamseer Mohammed are joined by former France international and ex-Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna, who represented his country at two FIFA World Cups and made more than 250 Premier League appearances. Sagna shares his thoughts on life in the UAE, the growth of football in the region, and why he is excited about the sport's future in the Middle East. The former defender also reflects on his experiences representing France on the biggest stage and explains why he believes Les Bleus have what it takes to go all the way at the 2026 World Cup. The conversation also turns to Arsenal, with Sagna discussing the club's chances of finally ending their wait for a Premier League title and what it was like playing under his former teammate and friend Mikel Arteta. Plus, Sagna takes on the Gulf News World Cup Predictor. Think you can correctly predict the winner of the tournament? Try it for yourself here: FIFA World Cup 2026 Winner Predictor | Gulf News Subscribe for more exclusive interviews, expert analysis and World Cup content throughout the road to 2026. Read the full story here: See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km