The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

The Coupe de France is the most international national cup competition in the world, with overseas territories located in every continent bar Asia taking part. The first to enter each year is always the team from Saint Pierre and Miquelon, in round 3.And this season, the tiny archipelago off the coast of Canada’s Newfoundland will have a representative from the less populous island of Miquelon for the very first time, after AS Miquelonnaise won the local qualifying tournament.But how does qualification work when there are only three teams in the archipelago? Why does Saint Pierre & Miquelon’s representative always start earlier than other overseas territories? And could a North American team theoretically play in the Europa League? Plus, more withdrawals than usual from the week-long national championship forces Greenland into a strategic re-think. And Caito Teixeira, the president of Guinea-Bissau’s FA, breaches his bail conditions and goes on the run!Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a bonus episode this Thursday all about the 2026 OFC Champions League and how the most remote places on the planet watch football.Sweeper listeners get 10% off at Golaço Kits by using the code SWEEPER10 at checkout and if you join us on Patreon, you will get 15% off!Chapters:00:00 - Intro00:48 – Football in Saint Pierre & Miquelon04:00 – Miquelon’s Coupe de France debut08:26 – Subarctic temperatures & a short season10:32 – North America in the Europa League?16:59 – Greenland’s chaotic championship26:50 – Guinea-Bissau’s presidential escape31:05 – Golaço Kits competition

Football never stops. Only nine days after the World Cup final, the news was leaked that FIFA were looking to sell a stake in the tournament, sparking a furious backlash across the globe.UEFA responded by threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, with CONCACAF and AFC subsequently releasing statements condemning the proposal, which would have seen all 211 member associations receive $40 million each. It’s easier to understand why the big guns resisted, but the money could have transformed the smaller nations, so why have so many of them declined the offer? And which tiny island’s FA condemned the plan despite being run by...FIFA-appointed officials?Plus, Montenegro’s four clubs are all eliminated from UEFA club competition qualifying with a perfectly awful record of 10 games and 10 defeats. We examine why they fared so badly. Plus a Colombian giant is knocked out of the cup...by their own reserves!Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a bonus episode this Thursday all about the death and resurrection of former Portuguese champions Boavista.Chapters:00:00 - Intro00:46 – FIFA’s collapsing house of cards01:56 – Montserrat08:15 – Guadeloupe11:52 – Nepal14:30 – Comoros21:10 – Montenegro’s continental calamity29:36 – Colombia’s cold-blood reserves

The 2026 World Cup continues to produce breathtaking matches – arguably none more so than debutants Cape Verde versus world champions Argentina.With players who once worked as electricians and mortgage advisors, Cape Verde pushed Lionel Messi & Co. to extra time in the round of 32, serving up one of the most memorable knockout ties in World Cup history. And one of the all-time great goals, scored by Sydny Lopes Cabral, who was playing in the German fifth tier not long ago and was so poor that he was hanging up binbags as makeshift curtains.But how does the game compare to other World Cup classics in the modern era? And what will Cape Verde’s fairytale run do for tourism in the country?Another outsider surpassing expectations is Paraguay, who eliminated four-time world champions Germany. Goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who was facing his idol Manuel Neuer, boasts one of the best rags to riches stories at the tournament.Plus: Viral Kiwi Tim Payne completes a transfer to Olimpia in South America and an England fan sparks an international manhunt.Sign up to The Sweeper’s Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/SweeperPodChapters:00:00 – Intro00:53 – Cape Verde v. Argentina05:50 – From zeroes to heroes19:00 – A World Cup tourism boost23:06 – Paraguay’s dark arts25:17 – Orlando Gill’s amazing story26:55 – Tim Payne’s Olimpia move29:48 – An England fan manhunt

The 2026 World Cup group-stage is over – and we’re already under way with the knockout phase of the tournament!Among the teams in the last 32 are seven knockout debutants: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, DR Congo, Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Cape Verde, who have been the story of the tournament and face Lionel Messi’s Argentina next. But which other countries reached the knockouts on their first-ever World Cup appearance? And which others made it through the group phase with three draws?Elsewhere, there are some ties with intriguing political backdrops. Austria face Spain in a battle of the two branches of the Habsburg family, while co-hosts Mexico and Ecuador go head-to-head in the Latin American Embassy Derby. There’s also a sinister history between Germany and Paraguay, an assassination plot involving England and DR Congo, and an air base that will link the USA and Bosnia forever.Plus: South Korea’s president intervenes following the country’s miserable World Cup performance, Marcelo Bielsa has a full-scale meltdown on camera and Tunisia stake a claim for being the worst team at the World Cup.Sign up to The Sweeper's Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/SweeperPodFollow Joey D'Urso on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/joey.durso/And Joey D'Urso's Substack is here:https://joeydurso.substack.com/Chapters:00:00 – Intro02:38 – Debutants and draws05:10 – Knockout newcomers10:50 – Cape Verde’s Messi meeting17:51 – Political pairings28:11 – Regrets and recriminations

It has been another scintillating week of action at the 2026 World Cup, where the final round of group games is about to get under way.Algeria are preparing to exact revenge against Austria for the ‘Disgrace of Gijón’ 44 years ago, in what may be the biggest grudge match of the tournament, while the Dutch royal family has been groundhopping to watch the Netherlands and Curaçao on the same day.Elsewhere, Hervé Renard and his crisp white shirts have failed to salvage Tunisia’s campaign, a marriage proposal went wrong at the Uruguay-Cape Verde match and Senegal have resorted to ordering takeaways to their team hotel in the absence of a proper chef.Plus: Borja Iglesias struggles to get into the Spain training base, an Iranian player has his celebrity aunt to thank for his call-up, German fan Freddy sparks a bidding war from North American airlines and Montevideo tops the all-time World Cup birthplace table.Chapters00:00 – Intro01:10 – Shocking scandals11:18 – Famous fans16:58 – Crazy call-ups21:55 – Miscellaneous mayhem26:09 – Bountiful birthplaces

The 2026 World Cup is already producing crazy quirks and hilarious headlines – with the co-host trio of Canada, Mexico and the USA leading the way. The USMNT have a star striker who gained citizenship by pure coincidence, while the American and Canadian tournament mascots have inspired a Peruvian drug bust and a Mexican duck wearing a national team shirt has gone viral across the world.Meanwhile, Algeria have begun a love affair with the people of host state Kansas, who have completely thrown their support behind the team, while Scotland are BBQing with AirBnB hosts in Boston and South Korean fans are forging a tequila-based bond in Mexico City.Plus: Cape Verde stun the football world against Spain, Brazil and Mexico contest the ‘Non-European European Border Derby’, Australia’s refugee strikeforce make a flying start and Algeria top the ‘World Cup Sleep Tax’ table.Chapters:00:00 – Intro00:50 – Cape Verde’s heroics04:45 – Curious citizenships10:20 – Glorious geography14:10 – Strange statistics20:26 – Beautiful bonds25:40 – Amazing animals

Uzbekistan are on the cusp of making their long-awaited World Cup bow. With former Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro at the helm, the former Soviet republic is about to become the first Central Asian country and the first double-landlocked nation to take part in the greatest show on earth. But what else do you need to know about the White Wolves before they have even kicked a ball in North America? In the final episode of our four-part series on the 2026 World Cup debutants, it is all about Uzbekistan, who have shed their decades-long nearly-men tag and arguably boast the best chances of any of the newcomers to the competition. Plus, DR Congo’s preparations are disrupted by the Ebola outbreak and Bosnia bring the largest coffee pot on the planet to North America. Join our Curaçao v Germany watch-along on Sunday 14 June at 6pm UK time here. Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:45 – The coach: Cannavaro’s playing pedigree04:00 – The players: Khusanov the star man08:45 – Qualifying: Nearly men no more11:09 – Group: Portugal, Colombia & DR Congo13:16 – DR Congo: Ebola outbreak at home16:44 – Bosnia: The world’s largest coffee pot

Jordan are at the World Cup finals for the first time ever!Led by coach Jamal Sellami in the dugout and captain Musa Al-Taamari on the pitch – who do not appear to agree when it comes to tactics – Jordan are set to become the country with the lowest land point to ever play at the finals.But what else do you need to know about the wonderfully nicknamed Chivalrous Ones ahead of their opening match?In the third instalment of our four-part series on the 2026 World Cup debutants, we’re turning our attentions to Jordan, who are known for their culinary goal celebrations and seemingly missed the memo for the group-stage draw...Plus, Panama’s decision to hold an opening training session completely backfires and Norway go full-Viking with their pre-tournament team photo.Join our Curaçao v Germany watchalong on Sunday 14 June at 6pm UK time here.Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:45 – The coach: Naturalised citizen Sellami04:30 – The players: Mutinous captain Al-Taamari 10:40 – Qualifying: Sweet revenge on Iraq13:05 – Group: Algeria, Argentina & Austria16:12 – Panama: An opening training session to forget19:08 – Norway: The epic pre-tournament Viking pic

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 – Intro02:48 – The coach: Dick Advocaat’s age record05:40 – The players: Only Chong born in Curacao09:15 – Qualifying: VAR scare versus Jamaica12:05 – Group: Germany, Ivory Coast & Ecuador15:50 – Gustaf Lagerbielke: Sweden’s defensive baron17:42 – Gambia: DJ visits and lost football boots

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.Get 10% off with Golaço Kits by visiting golacokits.com and using the discount code SWEEPER10 at checkout.Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:57 – The coach: Bubista & seven staff03:05 – The players: Diaspora & LinkedIn07:54 – Qualifying: Windy win over Eswatini11:04 – Group: Spain, Uruguay & Saudi Arabia13:30 – Our new partner: Golaço Kits15:25 – Tim Payne: NZ’s overnight sensation18:28 – Josué Duverger: Haiti’s fifth-tier keeper

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/1399637886Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:26 – FC Andorra: The history03:15 – FC Andorra: Piqué & Ceuta12:50 – The Copa Constitució final17:03 – No homegrown players24:10 – The micro-state ranking list30:08 – UEFA’s qualification revamp31:25 – 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/1399637886Ali Howorth’s Substack newsletter: www.alasdairhoworth.substack.comChapters:00:00 – Intro02:20 – The move to Mauritania05:55 – The return home to Sudan07:34 – The relocation to Rwanda12:55 – Al Hilal’s next destination14:45 – Champions in foreign countries19:06 – Brazil’s first indigenous pro club22:50 – 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 – Intro01:25 – Seismic shifts in Mexican football06:00 – The death of promotion & relegation10:05 – Closed shop leagues worldwide15:37 – Mexico’s pre-World Cup chaos21:38 – Racing’s roadside title celebration27:22 – 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.com⁠Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:20 – Celebrations: Pyrotechnics and pubs04:40 – Management: Gerber and Lustrinelli09:36 – Players: Roadworkers, recoveries and rejects12:50 – Style: Verticality and disregard for possession15:42 – Rivals: Basel & Young Boys underperformance 19:05 – Records: Swiss and European comparisons23:03 – Patreon plug and live show information24:35 – 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 – Intro01:15 – Red Bull’s Italian expansion plans07:30 – The hostile takeover of Austria Salzburg11:10 – The phoenix club that rose from the ashes15:40 – FC Südtirol: Yes or no to the energy empire?21:15 – Bursaspor’s Turkish football completion26:45 – UEFA Champions League fallen giants28:12 – Promotion chaos in the Eerste Divisie