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The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

By: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
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Tired of the Premier League and big-league European football? Want to discover the hidden stories of the global game? The Sweeper Podcast is your passport to the most extraordinary stories from across the football world. From the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure and overlooked competitions on earth, expert journalists Lee Wingate and Paul Watson explore the intersection of football, travel, geography, geopolitics, history and culture. Start here: 🎧 Red Bull’s Italian expansion plans (28 April 2026) 🎧 North Korea’s top-secret league (3 March 2026) 🎧 Greenland left out in the cold (24 June 2025) Hit “Follow” to discover new stories from the global game every Tuesday. Join us Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for bonus podcasts every Thursday. Contact: hello@sweeperpod.com. ——————————————————— World soccer archive The Sweeper is the only podcast committed to covering the beautiful game in all 211 FIFA countries – and beyond. The archives include deep dives into: EUROPEAN FOOTBALL (UEFA) • Countries: Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Finland, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine • Clubs: Austria Salzburg, Bodø/Glimt, Bursaspor, Ceuta, Kairat Almaty, Ludogorets, Mjällby, Paks, Qarabag, Shakhtar Donetsk, Steaua Bucharest, Südtirol, Thun, Vaduz • Competitions: Champions League, Conference League, Coupe de France, Europa League, European Championship ASIAN FOOTBALL (AFC) • Countries: Australia, Bhutan, China, India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan • Clubs: Arkadag, Gimcheon Sangmu, Heidelberg United, Johor Darul Taz’im, Machida Zelvia, Mohun Bagan, Neom, Thimphu City • Competitions: Asian Cup, Challenge League, Champions League 2, Champions League Elite AFRICAN FOOTBALL (CAF) • Countries: Algeria, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Zanzibar • Clubs: Al Ahly, Al Hilal Omdurman, Mamelodi Sundowns, Pyramids, Rahimo FC, RS Berkane • Competitions: Africa Cup of Nations, Champions League, Confederation Cup NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICAN FOOTBALL (CONCACAF) • Countries: Anguilla, Belize, Bonaire, Canada, Curacao, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Montserrat, Suriname, USA • Clubs: El Farolito, FC Supra du Québec, Robinhood FC, Vancouver Whitecaps • Competitions: Caribbean Cup, CFU Shield, Champions Cup, Gold Cup OCEANIAN FOOTBALL (OFC) • Countries: American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Vanuatu • Clubs: Auckland FC, Bula FC, Hekari United, Solomon Kings, South Island United, South Melbourne, Tahiti United, Vanuatu FC • Competitions: OFC Champions League, OFC Pro League SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL (CONMEBOL) • Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela • Clubs: Chapecoense, Coquimbo Unido, Mirassol, Mushuc Runa, The Strongest • Competitions: Copa América, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana REST OF THE WORLD • Countries: Bougainville, Greenland, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Scilly Isles, Tuvalu, Vatican City • Clubs: B67 Nuuk • Competitions: CONIFA World Football Cup, Fenix Trophy Topics: Altitude, amateurs, artificial intelligence, away days, cross-border clubs, cross-border leagues, day jobs, defections, derbies, dictatorships, elections, exclaves, fairytales, Football Manager, Futbology, groundhopping, identity, investigative journalism, islands, micro-states, minnows, multi-club ownership, non-league, outsiders, play-offs, promotion, relegation, sports washing, stories, ultras, unbeaten runs, underdogs, winning streaksLee Wingate and Paul Watson Football (Soccer)
Episodes
  • Curacao’s World Cup debut: 158k inhabitants, 1 local player & the oldest coach

    Curacao’s World Cup debut: 158k inhabitants, 1 local player & the oldest coach
    Jun 5 2026

    Debutants Curacao are about to break an all-time World Cup record.


    Spearheaded by veteran coach Dick Advocaat – soon to be the oldest coach in the tournament’s history – the Caribbean island are the smallest-ever nation to make an appearance at the finals with a population of only 160,000.


    So what should you know about the brilliantly nicknamed Blue Wave before they make their bow on the global stage this month?


    In the second episode of our four-part series on the 2026 World Cup debutants, we’re focusing on Curacao –a non-independent country that is part of the Netherlands and has as many Europe-born players as first opponents Germany.


    Plus, Graham Potter calls up a member of the Swedish nobility in defence and Iran’s final friendly opponents Gambia lose their football boots.


    Chapters:

    00:00 – Intro

    02:48 – The coach: Dick Advocaat’s age record

    05:40 – The players: Only Chong born in Curacao

    09:15 – Qualifying: VAR scare versus Jamaica

    12:05 – Group: Germany, Ivory Coast & Ecuador

    15:50 – Gustaf Lagerbielke: Sweden’s defensive baron

    17:42 – Gambia: DJ visits and lost football boots
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    20 mins
  • Andorran adventures: Cross border clubs, squirrel costumes & micro-state uproar

    Andorran adventures: Cross border clubs, squirrel costumes & micro-state uproar
    May 26 2026

    We have come to a tiny landlocked country where nine out of 10 footballers are foreigners.


    Welcome to beautiful Andorra – a micro-state home to a football scene brimming with curiosities and quirks.


    In this episode, we’re unpacking the madness: Why are there virtually no Andorrans in the local Primera Divisió? How did Gerard Piqué’s FC Andorra move over the border to play in Spain’s La Liga 2? And why on earth do fans of UE Santa Coloma dress up as squirrels?


    Plus: UEFA has totally revamped qualification for international competitions with a tiered Swiss-style system – and the continent's smaller nations are up in arms about it.


    Buy ‘Around The World In 80 Clubs’: ⁠www.amazon.co.uk/Around-World-80-Clubs-Wonderful/dp/1399637886


    Chapters:

    00:00 – Intro

    01:26 – FC Andorra: The history

    03:15 – FC Andorra: Piqué & Ceuta

    12:50 – The Copa Constitució final

    17:03 – No homegrown players

    24:10 – The micro-state ranking list

    30:08 – UEFA’s qualification revamp

    31:25 – A message from the minnows
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    35 mins
  • Al Hilal's African odyssey, Brazil's first indigenous pro club & a 42-second Dutch replay

    Al Hilal's African odyssey, Brazil's first indigenous pro club & a 42-second Dutch replay
    May 19 2026

    How has an exiled football club won league titles in three countries in the space of 12 months?


    In this episode, we tell the extraordinary story of Sudan’s Al Hilal Omdurman and their unprecedented African odyssey.


    After escaping conflict at home, they first conquered Mauritania’s Super D1 in May 2025, before winning a short championship in their native Sudan last summer and the Rwandan Premier League this month.


    But why have they been playing in other countries? Will their tour of the continent continue next season? And which other clubs have become champions of another nation?


    Plus, the first indigenous pro club in Brazil get off to a winning start and a 42-second Dutch replay goes comically wrong.


    ‘Around The World In 80 Clubs’: www.amazon.co.uk/Around-World-80-Clubs-Wonderful/dp/1399637886


    Ali Howorth’s Substack newsletter: www.alasdairhoworth.substack.com


    Chapters:

    00:00 – Intro

    02:20 – The move to Mauritania

    05:55 – The return home to Sudan

    07:34 – The relocation to Rwanda

    12:55 – Al Hilal’s next destination

    14:45 – Champions in foreign countries

    19:06 – Brazil’s first indigenous pro club

    22:50 – A 42-second Dutch replay
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
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