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Learn English Through Football Podcast: Miss out on
In this week’s football-language podcast we look back at some football phrases from the 2026 World Cup play-off finals, including, ‘miss out on‘ after Italy’s surprise defeat against Bosnia. We will also predict some of the big games from the English FA Cup quarter finals. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
Hello
DB: You’re listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast. Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing well and that you are enjoying the football. My name is Damon and I am one half of the Learn English Through Football team. I am based in Tokyo where the weather is as grey and wet. Not great for a weekend of football! I wonder how Damian, the other half of the team, is doing in London? Damian, how are you and how was the match you went to this week?
DF: Hi Damon and hello everyone from a grey and rather chilly London – similar to Tokyo, Damon! Yes, I went to see a Championship game yesterday here in London – remember that the Championship here is the second tier of English football so one division below the Premier League. So I saw Queens Park Rangers (or QPR) against Watford which QPR won 2-1. Really good fun and good to be back at the West-London ground for the first time in many, many years!
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (from a Wrexham fan)
DF: Thanks for that message which, of course, was from a Wrexham supporter and, like QPR and Watford, Wrexham are also in the Championship and definitely in the hunt for a play-off spot for promotion to the Premier League. What a story that would be after being a non-league side only five years ago!
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Canadian French)
DF: And thanks for that message too, which was in French from Canada. And we’re going to have more messages like that throughout the show. How many of them, how many languages, will you be able to recognise? We’ll have the answers at the end of the show. Now Damon, what else do we have on the show today?
Today’s Show
DB: Well Damian, we are going to take a look at phrases connected with competitions, tournaments, like the FA Cup, The World Cup, the Copa Libertadores, and so on. And in our predictions section at the end of the show, we’ll focus on the quarter finals of a famous tournament in England (and Wales), the FA Cup.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Dutch)
DF: OK, what language do you think that was? And if you can, send us a message like that saying, ‘You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast‘ in your language, or maybe you could add your name and which team you support. We’d be really happy to hear from you. Just record your short message and send on the audio to contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Miss out on the finals
Embed from Getty Images
DF: Right, earlier in the week we looked at the phrase, ‘to reach the final‘ after the 2026 World Cup play-off semi-finals and on today’s podcast we turn to phrases which mean the opposite: so, to not reach the final, or to not reach the knock-out rounds and so on. The first phrase we have is ‘to miss out on‘, which has been in the news a lot recently, especially with so many World Cup qualifying games taking place.
The dictionary says to miss out means to not be able to experience something or fail to take advantage of an opportunity or chance. But, it means a little bit more than that in football. You don’t, for example, miss out on a mid-table finish. You don’t miss out by losing in a friendly match. It means you come very, very close to success, but fail, or miss out, in the end. Every national team, every player, wants to play in the World Cup, the biggest competition in football. So, to have a chance to go if you win a qualifier, but then failing, is extremely painful and this is when we use the phrase, ‘miss out on‘.
Perhaps one of the biggest stories that used this phrase last week involved Italy. The Italians were beaten on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final play-off for the World Cup. Italy took the lead but then had a man sent off; Bosnia and Herzegovina fought back to 1-1. And then after 30 minutes of extra time, Italy lost on penalties. They missed out on World Cup qualification. They didn’t just lose the tie, they missed out on all the excitement, prestige, experiences that go with appearing in the World Cup. Here are some more examples:
- Italy has missed out on a third consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout on Tuesday in Zenica. (ESPN)
So, third consecutive World Cup. This means three World Cups in a row, that Italy have failed to qualify for.
2. …suggesting that Italy were missing out on qualification for the World Cup finals for the third time in a row (so, their third consecutive World Cup) (The Guardian)
So if we look at the pattern it is miss out on + the name of the competition or the stage or maybe the position. So, for example:
- They missed out on qualification on goal difference.
- The national team missed out on a place at the World Cup.
- One late defeat meant they missed out on a top‑two finish.
- They missed out on automatic qualification and now face the play‑offs.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Irish)
Fail to qualify
DF: We can also hear the phrase, ‘failure to qualify’ to mean the same thing, although it is perhaps maybe a little softer and doesn’t emphasise the full regret.
- Four-time world champions Italy failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row after a devastating penalty shootout defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina (Guardian.co.uk March 2026)
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Italian)
DF: Now, do you know any other phrases connected to these expressions we have used today: ‘to fail to qualify or ‘to miss out on’? Or maybe you know how to say them in other languages that you know? And if you do, then drop us a line at contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Predictions
DF: Right, next up we have our predictions. And we have two matches this week from the English FA Cup. The first sees a heavyweight clash and the second one is a David vs Goliath fixture. The first match sees Manchester City, League Cup winners last month, taking on the reigning League Champions, Liverpool. Damon, how do you think your team Liverpool will do?
FA Cup Quarter-finals: Manchester City v Liverpool
DB: Well, this was a nightmare draw for my team Liverpool, and I don’t think Manchester City fans will be too happy to have drawn Liverpool in the quarter finals. Liverpool just aren’t at the races this season, they have no consistency. Having said that, in some big games, they’ve done well: they beat Real Madrid, and they’ve beaten and drawn with League leaders Arsenal for example. But, away at Man City, I can only see a win for the Sky Blues. Maybe 2-1, and Liverpool’s goal being a consolation. How about you?
DF: A big tie indeed! I think City, on paper, should win but I also think games after the international break are often a bit slower and more cagey. It might be a draw – 1-1 – with maybe Liverpool winning after extra time.
FA Cup Quarter-finals: Chelsea v Port Vale
And the next game is Premier League side Chelsea taking on the minnows Port Vale. A win for the London side, surely?
DB: Yes. It’s unusual to have any romance in the cup at this stage and Chelsea will win this one comfortably. Maybe 3-0. You?
DF: Yes, the Premier League team at home will easily win this one against the side from the bottom of League One – maybe 5-0?
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Cantonese).
DF: What do you think of our predictions? Let us know by coming along to the forum on our site. Maybe you can give one or two predictions from games that you are watching this weekend? We have also recently had questions and comments on phrases there such as ‘stamp on an opponent‘ and ‘purchase‘ in football. So, go along and find out more about these and many more phrases there. It’s a really good place to practise using football words and phrases. And don’t forget to come along to any of our social media sites – you can find us on Facebook; YouTube; Instagram and many more.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Polish)
Contact
DF: And remember, our website also has a huge glossary with hundreds and hundreds of football terms, expressions, phrases and clichés about the beautiful game of football. Please tell all your friends about us and give us ‘a like’ or a recommendation on your favourite podcast or social media platforms!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Turkish)
DB: Yes, that message was in Turkish. We have also heard messages in, at the start, Canadian French, followed by Dutch, Irish, Italian, Polish, Cantonese, and Turkish. Well done if you recognised any of those languages and we’d love to hear from you if you’d like to record a message in any language that you know.
Goodbye
DF: Thank you everyone for listening. This week we have looked at the phrases, ‘miss out on the finals‘ and ‘failure to qualify‘. You can get in contact with us if you hear or see any of these phrases or maybe you have another football phrase or term you’d like us to explain – drop us a line and say hello!
Enjoy all the football this week – the Champions League returns with some big quarter-final games. What about you? What will you be watching this week?
And we’ll be back with another football expression early next week. Until then, bye bye!
DB: Ta-ra!
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