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

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

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

Mexico’s Liga MX wants to copy the MLS model!

The 18 club owners have voted to separate the league from the federation, move towards a franchise model, and permanently abolish promotion and relegation in practice.

But hang on, wasn’t relegation already abolished in Mexican football? Don’t lots of top leagues worldwide function as a closed shop? And why are Mexico’s 2026 World Cup preparations under Javier Aguirre causing problems for the domestic league too?

On this episode, we investigate the state of domestic football in Mexico and look ahead to the co-host’s controversial build-up to this summer’s global showpiece.

Plus: Racing de Montevideo celebrate their maiden Uruguayan title on the roadside and San Marino Calcio’s players pen an angry letter.

Jon Arnold's Substack is here and his viral Mexican football video on Instagram is here.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:25 – Seismic shifts in Mexican football

06:00 – The death of promotion & relegation

10:05 – Closed shop leagues worldwide

15:37 – Mexico’s pre-World Cup chaos

21:38 – Racing’s roadside title celebration

27:22 – San Marino Calcio’s angry letter

FC Thun midfielder Ethan Meichtry was a road worker three years ago. Now he’s a Swiss Super League winner.

His story perfectly encapsulates the improbable rise of the club, who were promoted only last summer and are already champions of Switzerland for the first time in their history.

So how did Meichtry go from construction worker to title-winner? How did Thun take Swiss football by storm? And where does their triumph rank on the all-time list of great soccer fairytales and underdog stories?

In this episode of The Sweeper Podcast, we pull back the curtain one of the biggest European football stories of 2026: Thun’s unlikely transformation from relegation candidates to first-time national champions.

You can sign up for the waiting list for The Sweeper's live show and the ‘Around The World in 80 Clubs’ book launch via this link: ⁠thesweeper.eventbrite.com⁠

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:20 – Celebrations: Pyrotechnics and pubs

04:40 – Management: Gerber and Lustrinelli

09:36 – Players: Roadworkers, recoveries and rejects

12:50 – Style: Verticality and disregard for possession

15:42 – Rivals: Basel & Young Boys underperformance

19:05 – Records: Swiss and European comparisons

23:03 – Patreon plug and live show information

24:35 – Fairytales: Where does Thun sit in the ranking?

Red Bull are finally coming for Italian football!

The energy drinks giant, which already majority-owns football clubs in Austria, Germany, America, Brazil and Japan, reportedly wants to venture into football in Italy and has now set its sights on FC Südtirol.

So what makes the Serie B club a sensible strategic move for Red Bull? And why should supporters in Bolzano be wary of multi-club ownership?

This weekend, we went to Austria Salzburg – the phoenix club that rose from the ashes of Red Bull’s hostile first foray into the sport – to explore what the future may hold for FC Südtirol.

Plus, Bursaspor win each of Turkiye’s top four divisions and a defeat helps Den Bosch secure a spot in the Eerste Divisie play-offs.

You can book your ticket for The Sweeper's live show and Around The World in 80 Clubs book launch from this link: thesweeper.eventbrite.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:15 – Red Bull’s Italian expansion plans

07:30 – The hostile takeover of Austria Salzburg

11:10 – The phoenix club that rose from the ashes

15:40 – FC Südtirol: Yes or no to the energy empire?

21:15 – Bursaspor’s Turkish football completion

26:45 – UEFA Champions League fallen giants

28:12 – Promotion chaos in the Eerste Divisie

Shakhtar Donetsk are a Ukrainian football club – but Russia are trying to change that by founding Shakhtyor Donetsk!

As part of their efforts to integrate occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia are now creating their own versions of major Ukrainian teams.

So why are UEFA not stopping this? What is the current situation in the Crimean Premier League? And how has the invasion changed football in Ukraine?

On this episode, we’re taking you on a journey to Ukraine to investigate how football is being used as a weapon of aggression.

Plus: Semi-pro Heidelberg United eye up an historic AFC berth and Montserrat search for a new head coach on Facebook.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:25 – The copycats in Russia’s fourth tier

06:22 – The Crimean Premier League

08:01 – Shakhtar Donetsk’s European run

11:15 – The rapid rise of LNZ Cherkasy

17:31 – Heidelberg United’s AFC aspirations

20:58 – Unlikely continental qualifications

25:30 – Montserrat’s unorthodox manager hunt

A newly-promoted club are on the verge of the impossible.

If tiny FC Thun can get just a few more points on the board, they will win the Swiss Super League and claim the first major trophy in their 128-year history.

But what do the locals make of it all? Why is Thun the perfect place for such a fairytale? And how did a literal sauna force a high-stakes clash with Basel to be called off?

We headed to the Alps to meet the fans and find out the answers. Join us in Thun for Europe’s most extraordinary club football story of 2026.

Sign up to Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod to enter the FC Vaduz giveaway.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – A quick history of FC Thun

04:45 – The fire at St. Jakob Park

11:20 – Other bizarre postponements

16:46 – Groundhopping with the Thun Army

22:16 – A tour of the Stockhorn Arena

28:10 – The stunning beauty of Thun

33:15 – A quick stop-off at FC Vaduz