The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Liechtenstein have the strangest national football team in Europe.They have no domestic league to develop players, sometimes take just one fan to away matches and, for years, had just one professional footballer.So how do they make it work? Why is it so hard to generate support for the team? And what change to international football might improve their fortunes?In this episode, we put the micro-state under the microscope and examine how Europe’s richest country is also home to its strangest national football team.Plus, the German winger with a secret double life and the Italian coach who disguised himself as a priest.Equator's World Cup 2026 course with David Goldblatt:https://www.equator.org/courses/world-cup-2026Stamping Grounds by Charlie Connelly: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stamping-Grounds-Exploring-Liechtenstein-World/dp/0349114889Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:03 – Liechtenstein at the FIFA Series08:07 – Europe’s strangest national team18:41 – Sudan’s bizarre 12th-tier call-up20:21 – Puerto Rico’s tournament triumph23:08 – Equator’s 2026 World Cup Masterclass27:22 – The German winger with a double life30:07 – Italy’s coach disguised as a priest

Eritrea’s national team haven’t played an official match in seven years.But this month, the Red Sea Camels are making their long-awaited return to the international stage in AFCON 2027 qualifying.So what kept Eritrea away? Why are they returning to the fold now? And do they have any chance against Eswatini?In this episode, we take you on a virtual journey to the Horn of Africa – and shine a light on the only country excluded from the FIFA rankings.Plus, the Belarusian team in exile in Poland and the Russian war critic making waves in Cyprus.Sweeper football shirts: ⁠https://stingz.co/collections/sweeper-podcast⁠Deutsche Welle documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMRQQYGNBK8Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:14 – Eritrea’s international absence04:55 – Dictatorships and defection09:16 – The long-awaited return to the fold13:30 – The state of play in the national team19:02 – Poland’s Belarusian club in exile22:47 – Sweeper shirts and special bonus pod24:17 – Russia’s war critic turned club owner

A World Cup co-host is at war with another participating nation.Since the United States launched strikes against Iran at the end of last month, the big question in the football world has been whether the latter will still play at the World Cup.So will Iran play or not? Could they even face the United States? And who would likely replace them if they were to withdraw?Today, we run through all the conceivable scenarios and analyse the most turbulent build-up to a World Cup in living memory.Plus: The Barcelona fan who went to the wrong St. James’ Park and Welsh club Llantwit Major’s hilarious cup run.BUY THE SHIRTS: ⁠⁠https://stingz.co/collections/sweeper-podcast⁠⁠ Get £6 off with Patreon: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sweeperpod⁠The Guardian on the 1930 World Cup: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/13/world-cup-stunning-moments-25-conte-verde-uruguayThe Los Angeles Times on India:https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/sports-now/story/2011-07-19/did-india-withdraw-from-the-1950-world-cup-because-they-were-not-allowed-to-play-barefootChapters00:00 – Intro 00:55 – Iran’s World Cup predicament04:35 – USA fit to host tournament?08:09 – Scenario 1 – Iran play at World Cup11:25 – Historical precedents for withdrawals16:40 – Scenario 2 – Iran withdraw from World Cup20:55 – Barca fan’s extreme travel mix-up29:17 – Llantwit Major’s wacky cup run

Steaua Bucharest, Romania’s most successful club, no longer exists.Instead, two teams now both lay claim to the original club’s success – including the highly prized 1986 European Cup.So who is the true successor? Why did UEFA change its mind four decades later? And could they ever play against each other?In this episode, we take you inside one of European football’s oddest disputes: the battle for Steaua Bucharest’s history.Plus: The Italian coach who sacked himself after 44 years and the German pirate island club with no opponents.BUY THE SHIRTS: ⁠https://stingz.co/collections/sweeper-podcast⁠ Get £6 off with Patreon: ⁠https://patreon.com/sweeperpodChapters00:00 – Intro00:57 – FCSB’s nightmare season02:19 – The battle for Steaua’s history10:09 – Unlikely European Cup winners quiz14:07 – Gigi Becali: Football’s craziest owner17:39 – The coach who sacked himself23:04 – Football’s longest-serving managers26:10 – The club with no opponents

Welcome to The Sweeper Podcast. Each week, we bring you the most extraordinary global football stories from across the 211 FIFA countries and beyond.New episodes are released at 8pm UK time every Tuesday. For bonus podcasts every Thursday at the same time, sign up at patreon.com/sweeperpod.

In North Korea, even football is shrouded in secrecy.Fixtures in the DPRK Premier League aren’t published. Fans only find out matches are happening when notices appear outside the stadium the day before. You can’t check the scores. And you can’t watch full games on TV.So how does football actually work in the world’s most secretive country?Why are English Premier League matches shown – but delayed by months and cut down to 60 minutes? Is it really possible to groundhop in Pyongyang? And how have North Korea’s women become one of the strongest forces in football – especially at youth level?Join us for all the answers in this episode, in which we also tell the story of the Colombian club totally transformed under Wrexham’s Hollywood owners and unveil our first-ever merch: The Sweeper Podcast football shirts.BUY THE SHIRTS: https://stingz.co/collections/sweeper-podcastGet £6 off with Patreon: https://patreon.com/sweeperpod Chapters00:00 – Intro01:25 – The DPRK Premier League05:41 – Bizarre North Korean broadcasts09:08 – Groundhopping in Pyongyang13:43 – Unrivalled success at youth level18:40 – Wrexham's Hollywood duo in Colombia26:32 – The Sweeper's football shirts

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? Chapters00:00 – Intro01:34 – Bodø/Glimt's UCL magic04:51 – Football at the top of the world07:59 – Four fun facts about Svalbard12:27 – El Salvador's family feud16:02 – Family coaching battles20:03 – Poland's Nazi-defying club22:51 – Hashtag United's cup clash26:06 – 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? Chapters00:00 – Intro01:14 – The world’s most-played fixture11:21 – Other contenders for the title14:45 – The longest unbeaten run in history22:00 – Around The World in 80 Clubs25:30 – 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.Chapters00:00 - Intro01:49 - Live game: DAC 1904 v Slovan Bratislava14:32 - Viktor Orbán's political power play21:18 - Copa Libertadores guest invitations23:04 - Analysis from Jon Arnold25:59 - China's Super League low point27:21 - Analysis from John DuerdenSources for the lead storyAtlatszo: https://english.atlatszo.hu/2018/12/11/the-orban-government-spent-billions-on-hungarian-football-clubs-in-serbia-romania-and-slovakiaBalkan Insight: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/07/08/hungary-and-croatia-build-stadium-for-e7-5-million-in-village-of-500-inhabitantsDenník: 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.htmlSalzburger 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/p0lxg7xyChapters00:00 – Intro00:41 – Qarabağ's historic Champions League run02:01 – A story of exile and homecoming07:22 – Soft power and state support10:50 – The secret to their sporting success14:37 – The challenges ahead: Newcastle and Sabah17:02 – Patreon preview: Chapecoense and South America18:33 – Another milestone for Bodø/Glimt21:45 – Benfica's keeper goal and priest interview26:07 – Brugge's congratulations and Borat arrests