The Explainer Series: The World Cup

The Explainer Series is about exploring the questions we’re all asking.

The FIFA World Cup is more than just soccer. It’s heartbreak in extra time, group chats going off at 3am, impossible national pride, controversial calls, and suddenly caring deeply about countries you’ve never thought about before. Every four years, billions of people get completely swept up in the drama, whether they know the offside rule or not.

Hosted by comedian and certified Matildas superfan Mel Buttle, with guest speaker Dr Lee McGowan, event in The Explainer Series dives into why the World Cup captures the world’s attention like nothing else. From iconic moments and football fever to the politics, money and power behind the tournament, we’ll unpack what makes the World Cup such a global obsession.

Whether you’re a lifelong football tragic, or a casual bandwagon supporter, this conversation will help make sense of the world’s biggest sporting spectacle.

Meet Your Speakers

Dr Lee McGowan is a leading expert in football's histories. He writes about football because he was at best what would be described as an enthusiastic player; he’s just as successful at surfing. At our upcoming Explainer Series event, he's most excited to break down the social development of the FIFA Men’s World Cup. 

Mel Buttle Fearless, funny, and refreshingly frank, Mel Buttle is a superstar of Australian comedy who makes being hilarious look effortless. She's the genius creator behind Australia's favourite online mum character 'Lyn', an award-winning stand-up comedian, a popular television and radio presenter, and the self-declared number one fan of the Matildas.

The Explainer Series

The Explainer Series is a space for thoughtful conversations with people who really know their stuff, sharing insights and context so we can better navigate the big and small questions in our lives.

From international law and cryptocurrency to climate change, gut health and space junk, these talks bring ideas, trends and debates into focus, helping us form our own understanding, guided by curiosity and expertise.

There’s no spin and no hype, just experts helping us think more clearly about the world around us.

The Explainer Series is generously supported by Gina Fairfax AC and Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Library Foundation.

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The views expressed by the speakers are their own and the promotion of products/services is not endorsed by State Library.