The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Bodø/Glimt continued their sensational debut UEFA Champions League campaign by beating Italian giants Inter in the Arctic Circle – after 80 tons of snow had first been cleared from their pitch, of course.
But did you know Norway is home to an even snowier pitch, 1,000km further north at the very top of the world, in a place where seeds are stored for the event of an apocalypse and people carry rifles to the supermarket to stave off polar bear attacks?
So who used to play here, on this northernmost 11-a-side pitch in the world? Why did it all change after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? And why do so many Liverpool fans live in this Arctic wilderness?
Next, we hop over to Central America, where a family feud is ruining birthdays and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. So what scenario is unfolding here that is happening nowhere else in the world?
Finally, there’s a club in a local amateur league whose players are forced to play every match at home. Why are they banned from ever playing away? And which former professional footballer is employed to guard them?

Chapters
00:00 – Intro
01:34 – Bodø/Glimt's UCL magic
04:51 – Football at the top of the world
07:59 – Four fun facts about Svalbard
12:27 – El Salvador's family feud
16:02 – Family coaching battles
20:03 – Poland's Nazi-defying club
22:51 – Hashtag United's cup clash
26:06 – Jonker Boys' unusual restriction
Around The World in 80 Clubs: ⁠https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

The most-played match in world football has been contested nearly 1,000 times – yet most fans have never heard of it.
Join us on a journey to a tropical corner of the planet as we uncover a rivalry first played in 1914… and still being contested today.
Who are the two teams involved? Why have they faced each other so often – an average of seven times a year for over a century? And what could finally slow this extraordinary fixture down in 2026?
Next, we explore the remarkable story of a top-flight club who have not lost a league game since before the pandemic. How have they stayed unbeaten for so long – and why, despite that run, are they still not the most dominant team in world football?
Finally, we turn to the international game and the national team hoping to represent what could become the world’s newest country in 2027. But if independence comes, will they be welcomed into the global football family – or left waiting on the sidelines?
Chapters
00:00 – Intro
01:14 – The world’s most-played fixture
11:21 – Other contenders for the title
14:45 – The longest unbeaten run in history
22:00 – Around The World in 80 Clubs
25:30 – The world’s newest national team?

Bougainville – A New Country: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/126735-000-A/arte-reportage/
Around The World in 80 Clubs: https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

A sleepy town of 22,000 people in southern Slovakia is home to a top-flight football club that is challenging for national titles and boasts an ultra-modern, sleek stadium that is entirely out of step with its surroundings – thanks to money from abroad.
We paid a visit to Dunajská Streda to watch local team DAC 1904 play domestic giants Slovan Bratislava in a top-of-the table clash in Slovakia. But this was no ordinary game. It was the most politically charged football match we’ve ever seen.
The reason for that lies far beyond the football pitch. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is funding clubs in neighbouring countries as part of a broader political strategy – one that may help him win re-election in April and shape the balance of power in the EU.
Elsewhere, the Copa Libertadores is reportedly preparing to invite guest clubs from Mexico and the US to participate in the competition starting in 2027, while Chinese football has hit a new low after nine of the Super League’s 16 clubs were deducted points.
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:49 - Live game: DAC 1904 v Slovan Bratislava
14:32 - Viktor Orbán's political power play
21:18 - Copa Libertadores guest invitations
23:04 - Analysis from Jon Arnold
25:59 - China's Super League low point
27:21 - Analysis from John Duerden
Sources for the lead story
Atlatszo: https://english.atlatszo.hu/2018/12/11/the-orban-government-spent-billions-on-hungarian-football-clubs-in-serbia-romania-and-slovakia
Balkan Insight: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/07/08/hungary-and-croatia-build-stadium-for-e7-5-million-in-village-of-500-inhabitants
Denník: https://dennikn.sk/1380564/bolo-to-ako-vojna-bitka-policajtov-s-fanusikmi-dunajskej-stredy-po-ktorej-sa-zmenil-zakon/
Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-orban-sport-influence-romania/31977287.html
Salzburger Nachrichten:https://www.sn.at/sport/fussball/international/dac-dunajska-streda-orbans-aushaengeschild-in-der-slowakei-art-371392

Qarabağ have made Champions League history this season, becoming the first Azerbaijani club to ever reach the knockout stages of the competition – and setting up a play-off tie against Premier League team Newcastle United.

Their run has come at a time of dramatic geopolitical change in the South Caucasus, with the club preparing to return to their hometown of Ağdam after spending more than three decades in exile in the capital Baku.

Elsewhere, Bodø/Glimt stunned the continent by qualifying for the knockouts despite not playing domestic football since November, while Benfica hit the headlines with a goalkeeper goal and a viral TV interview from a local priest.

Club Brugge also progressed through the league phase, but that will not be the enduring memory of their season for three fans who accompanied the team to Kazakhstan and ended up in jail in one of the strangest away-day stories of the season.

Ghost Cities FC by James Montague for the BBC: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0lxg7xy

Chapters
00:00 – Intro
00:41 – Qarabağ's historic Champions League run
02:01 – A story of exile and homecoming
07:22 – Soft power and state support
10:50 – The secret to their sporting success
14:37 – The challenges ahead: Newcastle and Sabah
17:02 – Patreon preview: Chapecoense and South America
18:33 – Another milestone for Bodø/Glimt
21:45 – Benfica's keeper goal and priest interview
26:07 – Brugge's congratulations and Borat arrests

Christmas has come and gone, but for Santa Claus – the football club that is, not the man with the beard – the other big moment of the year is fast approaching.

This amateur team of tourism and post office workers are about to enter the Finnish Cup – their one big moment each year to show they are more than just a novelty name.

But beyond Lapland, what else is so unique about the competition? We speak to Tomi Leivo-Jokimäki, the chief organiser at the Finnish Football Association, about its soaring popularity, English influence and the trophy's wacky back story.

Finally, we take a look at other unique cup competitions across the European continent – from France’s all-inclusive cup to Bosnia’s strange final.

Chapters
00:00 – Intro
00:32 – Santa Claus' other big moment
03:38 – The uniqueness of the Finnish Cup
05:42 – A typical run in the competition
07:40 – Favourite Finnish club names
09:38 – Interview with Tomi Leivo-Jokimäki
23:20 – Patreon episode sneak peak
24:29 – Cup craziness across Europe