African Five-a-Side podcast
Hosted by African Five-a-Side
A solo podcast using African national football team performances in major tournaments as a lens to analyze the continent's progress and politics.
This is a solo-hosted tactical and analytical breakdown of African national football teams' matches, primarily during major tournaments like the World Cup. The host, Maher Mezahi, provides passionate, celebratory, and critical commentary, focusing on the continent's overall progress and standing in global football. Episodes are typically timely recaps of recent games, blending on-pitch analysis with a broader discussion of politics and culture.
“Its unapologetically pan-African perspective stands out, celebrating the continent's collective success and consistently challenging what it frames as the biases and limited perspectives of international sports media.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by Algiers-based football journalist Maher Mezahi, African Five-a-Side is a solo commentary podcast that analyzes the performance of African national teams in major tournaments like the World Cup and AFCON. Presented by the publication 'Africa Is a Country', the show uses football as a prism to discuss the continent's culture, politics, and global standing. Mezahi's analysis is known for its passionate, pan-African perspective and for pushing back against perceived biases in international sports media.
Credentials & credits
- Host of the African Five-a-Side podcast
- Contributing Editor at Africa Is a Country
- Journalist published in BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, ESPN Africa, Al Jazeera English
- Contributor to the book 'AFROSPORT - The Book' (2024)
- Contributor to the book 'Football in the Middle East: State, Society, and the Beautiful Game' (2022)
Other ventures
- Africa Is a Country (publication)
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 022026 FIFA World Cup: Senegal, Cape Verde, Egypt advance to Round of 32Jun 27, 2026 · 16 min
- 03South Africa 1-0 Korea: Heroic Bafana make history and qualify to knockout phaseJun 25, 2026 · 9 min
- 04Morocco 4-2 Haiti: Atlas Lions qualify to Round of 32 of 2026 FIFA World CupJun 25, 2026 · 12 min
- 05How many African teams will qualify to the knockout stages of the World Cup?Jun 24, 2026 · 32 min
- 06Cape Verde draw Spain in historic debut, Egypt draw BelgiumJun 16, 2026 · 14 min
- 07Morocco 1-1 Brazil: Young Atlas Lions push Brazil to the brink in tight drawJun 14, 2026 · 21 min
- 08South Africa fall 2-0 in World Cup opener versus MexicoJun 12, 2026 · 17 min
Notable episodes
- 01South Africa 1-0 Korea: Heroic Bafana make history and qualify to knockout phase
Celebrates a historic first-time knockout stage qualification for South Africa, highlighting the coach's tactical decisions and a star player's performance.
- 02Algeria, DR Congo kill themselves for Africa; 9/10 African teams make knockout stages
Highlights a moment of immense collective success for the continent in the tournament, with the host celebrating a historic qualification rate for African teams.
- 032026 FIFA World Cup: Senegal, Cape Verde, Egypt advance to Round of 32
In this episode, the host pushes back against past criticism of expanding the World Cup, using the strong performance of African teams as evidence of the continent's competitive depth.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a solo commentary show and does not feature guest interviews. The format consists of the host's narrative analysis and rhetorical questions directed at the audience.
This is a solo narrative show, not an interview podcast. The host delivers passionate, seemingly unscripted analysis of recent matches, often celebrating historic wins while critiquing specific tactical errors. Episodes frequently close with the host signing off with "Peace."
Signature segments
- · Closing with 'Peace'
- · Killed themselves for Africa
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is presented by the publication "Africa Is a Country" and has received funding from the Open Society Foundation, suggesting a content partnership or grant-funded model rather than traditional ad reads.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch African Five-a-Side
5•••@•••.comFree: limited reveals · Pro: unlimited reveals + CSV export
You’re only charged when we return a verified hit.
People also ask
- Who is the host of the podcast?
- The host is Maher Mezahi, an Algiers-based football journalist and a contributing editor for the publication 'Africa Is a Country'.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a solo commentary show. The host, Maher Mezahi, provides analysis and recaps of recent football matches involving African national teams.
- Does the podcast feature guests or interviews?
- No, this is a solo narrative podcast and does not conduct interviews.
- What is the podcast's perspective?
- The podcast analyzes football from a distinctly pan-African perspective, often celebrating the collective success of teams from the continent and discussing the intersection of sport, politics, and culture.
- Where is the podcast available?
- The podcast is available on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
- How often are new episodes released?
- Episodes are released frequently, often daily, during major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup to provide timely match recaps and analysis.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Maher Mezahi - Africa Is a Countryafricasacountry.com
- [02]Maher Mezahi | The New Arabnewarab.com
- [03]African Five-a-side - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [04]Maher Mezahi | HKWhkw.de
- [05]African Football Stories Under the Radar | Maher Mezahi - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [06]It's not just Cape Verde: African soccer is having a World Cup momentkeranews.org
- [07]Maher Mezahi: The African Storyteller Of The Global Game - World Football Indexworldfootballindex.com
Podcasts like African Five-a-Side podcast
The Arena
The Arena
A daily sports debate show where 3-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and a panel of former pros give unfiltered takes on basketball news.
Sports Yaari
Sports Yaari
A high-cadence Indian sports media channel delivering daily news, reactive analysis, and passionate opinions primarily focused on the Indian national cricket team.
Cultaholic Wrestling
Cultaholic Wrestling
A daily news and discussion show from a team of British wrestling journalists known for its blend of candid reporting, community in-jokes, and humor.
Always Irish
Always Irish
A passionate, fan-driven YouTube show covering Notre Dame football recruiting and news with a raw, unfiltered perspective from host John Kennedy.
Pitch Side
Pitch Side
A group of British YouTubers deliver daily, high-energy football commentary through heated debates, live match watchalongs, and game segments.
TMPT of Wrestling Interviews, Shoots, and Podcasts
Hulk Hogan
A veteran wrestling historian gets pro wrestlers to share the unfiltered, behind-the-scenes stories of their careers, focusing on controversies and correcting rumors.
Easy British English
Easy British English
A British-German couple teaches conversational English by interviewing people on UK streets and hosting a podcast about British life and language.
Open For Business: a Big 12 Podcast w/ John Kurtz
A solo-hosted podcast covering the Big 12's business, politics, and on-field action with a pro-conference, analytical perspective.