The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

119 Episoden

Curacao’s World Cup debut: 158k inhabitants, 1 local player & the oldest coach
05.06.2026 | 20 Min.
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
Cape Verde’s World Cup debut: 7 staff, LinkedIn DMs & the Rotterdam goldmine
02.06.2026 | 20 Min.
Cape Verde are days away from making their World Cup debut.

With a head coach nicknamed after the island of his birth and only seven full-time staff members, the tiny African archipelago are about to take on former world champions Spain and Uruguay as well as Saudi Arabia in North America.

But what do you need to know about the Blue Sharks ahead of their maiden appearance on the greatest stage in international football?

In the first of our four-part series on the debutants at the 2026 World Cup, we talk through the once Portuguese colony’s unique recruitment strategy – from LinkedIn DMs to Rotterdam recruits – and assess their chances of a Group H upset.

Plus, New Zealand’s Tim Payne becomes an overnight viral sensation and Haiti’s Josué Duverger prepares to swap fifth-tier German side Cosmos Koblenz for World Cup duty.

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Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:57 – The coach: Bubista & seven staff
03:05 – The players: Diaspora & LinkedIn
07:54 – Qualifying: Windy win over Eswatini
11:04 – Group: Spain, Uruguay & Saudi Arabia
13:30 – Our new partner: Golaço Kits
15:25 – Tim Payne: NZ’s overnight sensation
18:28 – Josué Duverger: Haiti’s fifth-tier keeper
Andorran adventures: Cross border clubs, squirrel costumes & micro-state uproar
26.05.2026 | 35 Min.
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
Al Hilal's African odyssey, Brazil's first indigenous pro club & a 42-second Dutch replay
19.05.2026 | 28 Min.
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
The death of relegation in Mexico – Plus Racing’s roadside celebrations in Uruguay & San Marino Calcio’s angry letter
12.05.2026 | 33 Min.
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

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Über The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

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: [email protected]. ——————————————————— 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 streaks

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