The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast
Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
Welcome to The Sweeper, the world football podcast made in association with FIFA+. Join Lee Wingate and Paul Watson every second Wednesday as they bring you the best headlines from across the football world and tell you the stories that you won't hear elsewhere. Patreon: patreon.com/SweeperPodAudio editing: Ralph Foster & Tom Middler Graphic design: The Gentlemen Creatives Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Romania's reality TV race, Australia's motorway trophy & the Marshall Islands' vanishing kit
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper Send us an email to sweeperpod@gmail.com with some information about yourself and your preferences if you want us to handpick you a new football team to support. Some brilliant stories from Europe and Asia await you in Part 1. A Romanian coach has temporarily left his league-leading side to join a televised race across Asia
Ferencváros' ultras in disguise, HamKam 2’s AI coach & Burkina Faso’s bus-funded leaders
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper Part 1 is all about the final round of Europa League and Champions League action. How have Brest made the play-offs with an inexperienced coach and a shoestring budget? What does Fenerbahce boss José Mourinho have against the Danish town of Herning? Does Ryan Kent love his pet crocodiles more than his own family? How did t
Ascension Island’s tortoise troubles, Omonia’s fan-paid groceries & Lazio’s live-in falconer
There’s an island theme in Part 1. Starting with the return of football to Ascension Island, an isolated outpost in the Atlantic Ocean. It will be the second-most remote place to host football in the world – but what is the first?! Next up is Malta, where the only team in the pyramid from the neighbouring island of Gozo has made a 100% start to the season and the top flight has adopted a Latin American-style format. Our final stop in this segment is Cyprus, where Omonia Nicosia are preparing to
Balzers’ Internet fame, the world’s newest league & The Strongest’s Chocolate Party
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
The Sweeper is back for the first episode of 2025 to round up all the world football headlines from over the Christmas and New Year period. Starting in Europe, where Balzers of Liechtenstein have gone from 1,000 to 400,000 Instagram followers almost overnight – but how have they achieved their stratospheric growth? In Po
Víkingur’s 13-month season, Vitória’s crazy Kazakh away day & a Career We Go quiz
Part 1 is all about the drama of the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland and Ireland have their first-ever representatives in a European knockout stage, Portugal’s Vitoria de Guimaraes set a new continental away day record, Omonia’s "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" coach is sacked & the reserves of English giants Chelsea run riot. To help us review the action, we have a panel of experts from across Europe: Andy Brassell from On The Continent in the UK, Hinrik Wöh
ANNOUNCEMENT: LIVE UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE PODCAST ON THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER
Hello everyone!
Lee and Paul have some news: We're going to be hosting a live stream watch-along during the UEFA Conference League Matchday 6 action on the evening of Thursday 19 December. We will go live on social media shortly before kick-off in the matches, which will all start simultaneously at 20:00 GMT / 21:00 CET, and will be joined by guests throughout the evening. You can watch the live stream on Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook by following us at @sweeperpod. For more details,
Georgia’s bodyguard cup winners, Danish snowball fights & a smuggled skull in Paraguay
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
Gift a Patreon subscription for Christmas: www.patreon.com/SweeperPod/gift
Part 1 is all about the biggest domestic cup shocks and upsets across the globe, starting with Spaeri. But does their association with a government entity make it less of a fairytale triumph for the fast-rising second-tier Georgians? The focus th
A SAN MARINO PROMOTION, Hispaniola at the Gold Cup & Coupe de France controversy
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
There was only ever going to be one starting point for our international coverage in Part 1: San Marino’s historic promotion to UEFA Nations League C! But how do we think they will fare and who do we want to see them face? Up next is the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the home of Haiti & Dominican Republic – both of w
Balkan groundhopping, River Plate’s potent paint & Como’s war on Monza
In Part 1 of this bonus Patreon episode, which we have released in the absence of a fresh podcast on this occasion, the Sweeper team are joined by Tom Middler and Simon Clark – Lee's co-hosts on his other podcast, 'The Other Bundesliga' – to talk about their groundhopping trip to Slovenia & Croatia. Which UEFA Conference League match did they watch? Who plays in Slovenia's 'metal derby'? And why is there a garden shed in Croatia's largest stadium? Join us to find out!
The theme in Part 2 i
Montenegro’s mass collapse, Sweden’s perfect runners-up & Auckland’s A-League debut
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
Click here to buy the November issue of World Soccer: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/single-issue/world-soccer-magazine
In Part 1, the focus is on the club game in the continent The Sweeper calls home: Europe. Why did the entire Njegoš team simultaneously collapse in the Montenegrin third division? And was there any truth to the
Bhutanese monk ultras, a golden era for micro-states & the Southgate of the Solomons
This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
In Part 1, we take a look at one of the world’s most remote footballing outposts with Faraway Football blogger Matthew Eide, who has just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Bhutan courtesy of football kit designers Icarus. Which footballing figure flew the plane that transported him from Kathmandu to Paro? How did a 1
Switalian adventures, Welsh routes into Europe & the Vatican on tour
In Part 1, Lee reflects on his trip to watch high-flying Lugano take on Winterthur in the Swiss Super League. What’s the story behind their collaboration with MLS outfit Chicago Fire? What else has been behind the club’s rise to domestic cup winners and title challengers? And could Switzerland have its first national champion from the Italian-speaking region since 1949? We also hear from YouTuber and friend of the pod TheTimTraveller about Campione d’Italia (the exclave on the other side of Lake
Turks & Caicos' 14-year-old goalie, Bolivia's altitude advantage & Argentina's gun-wielding chairman
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper
Part 1 covers the best international window for underdogs in living memory, with San Marino’s first-ever competitive triumph, Anguilla’s first victory since 2010 & American Samoa’s first win since 2015 among the highlights. There’s also a mention for the Turks & Caicos Islands’ 14 year-old goalie, a rare competitive away win
BONUS POD: SAN MARINO WIN A FOOTBALL MATCH!!!
Would you believe it?! San Marino, the worst team in the world by FIFA ranking (210), have ended the longest winless run in international football history (140 games dating back to April 2004) and won a competitive match for the first time in their history! The 'Titani' beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League.
Along with other content creators, friends & listeners, Sweeper duo Lee Wingate & Paul Watson were live in Serravalle to witness this monumental moment and talk about it afterwar
Europe for Larne & TNS, Papua NG's breakaway league & Comoros’ wizard-loving boss
Part 1 is devoted to the final round of UEFA club competition qualifying & the upcoming league phase in the three tournaments. We look at the Larne, TNS, RFS & Slovan Bratislava underdog success stories, amazing social media posts involving the Smurfs and Mr. Bean, the changed format of the three club competitions and the computerised draw, plus the best European groundhops you could make to take in the league phase action.
In Part 2, we divide our time between domestic club football and the int
Noah’s unique European run, Djibouti’s power plant club & St. Kitts' three-legged final
Part 1 is devoted to the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. There’s penalty pandemonium in Poland and theNetherlands, an amazing achievement for Armenians Noah and a trio of clubs on the verge of becoming the first representatives from Andorra, Northern Ireland & Wales to reach a continental group. There’s also a word for the biggest and shortest European away days of the summer, football’s huge carbon footprint and two clubs with close links to the political leaders of their countries: Pu
A Tongan World Cup dream, Greenland’s Disko Island & Olympic sprinter-footballers
In Part 1, we bring you all the top stories from around the football world: Maikeli Lomu, an American with Tongan heritage, has sold his pottery studio in Utah and relocated to his ancestral homeland in pursuit of a World Cup dream. The 2024 edition of the Greenlandic Football Championship – the shortest season in world football at one week – is taking place on Disko Island off the west coast. And the FA Cup preliminary rounds are serving up some great stories, including the earliest goals in th
A message to The Sweeper listeners
Co-host of The Sweeper Lee Wingate has a message for listeners of the show about the change of podcast frequency from weekly to fortnightly, which many of you will have heard us announce on the last episode.
If you want podcasts in the in-between weeks too, plus a whole host of other bonus world football content, then join our Patreon community now over at patreon.com/SweeperPod.
A victorious Faroese village, 27th time lucky for La Fiorita & North Korea’s ‘Pariah Derby’
In Part 1, we round up all the latest highlights from the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. We talk about two villages of under 1,000 people in the Faroes & San Marino that claimed big European wins, the Slovenian keeper that went on a René Higuita-style dribble against Connah’s Quay Nomads of Wales and FC Copenhagen’s upcoming trip to face ‘pub team’ Bruno’s Magpies at a stadium overlooking the African coastline.
That is followed in Part 2 by an announcement about a change to the podca
Pub team's European win, a mystery island coaching job & a Sweeper-sponsored team
Part 1 is dedicated to the best part of the European football calendar: the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. We chat about the Gibraltarian pub team that claimed a win in the Conference League, the victorious Polish and Romanian teams in the Europa League and the part-timers from the Faroe Islands excelling in the Champions League.
In Part 2, we bring you a random mix of stories from across the football world: Paul has been offered a coaching job on a mystery island in the South Pacifi
Rooftop viewings in Vanuatu, Zivzivadze’s house-turned-hotel & an Eritrean on the move
Part 1 is dedicated to the overachieving underdogs at the continental competitions taking place this summer: Canada at the Copa América, Vanuatu at the OFC Nations Cup and Georgia at the EUROs. Meanwhile, in Part 2, there is a rare move to a European club for an Eritrean player and an ex-Gibraltar international is jailed for drug dealing. Join us for Part 3 at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we round up some headlines from the home nations and bring you some spectacular transfer fails too.
RUNNING ORD
The UEFA qualifier quiz, the Marshall Islands’ debut & a delayed Cold War friendly
With the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds getting under way this week, it’s time for a full Sweeper preview of the action in Part 1 – in the form of a trivia quiz, of course! Join us and play along in our three rounds – Multiple Choice, Odd One Out & The Right Order – as we look ahead to the Champions, Europa & Conference League qualifiers: the debutants, the second-tier teams, the geographical extremes, the funny back stories and much more besides. And there’s plenty at stake, wi
OFC Nations Cup chaos, Saint Helena rescue missions & Malaga’s 5am airport welcome
Part 1 kicks off with some stories from around the football
world. Why were the Solomon Islands locked out of their dressing room at the OFC Nations Cup? How come New Caledonia dramatically pulled out of the tournament? What are the most remote football tournaments in the world in terms of the distance to the closest inhabited land? And which footballer has recently established himself on the over-45s tennis circuit in South America?
We’re back to Europe for Part 2. Which Spanish fallen giant
Kilts and concerts at EURO 2024, a university upset in Japan & an Icelandic village dream
The European Championships are in full swing not only on the pitch but off it too. In Part 1, we pick out three themes from the opening stages of the tournament in Germany that have made us laugh: food wars, culture craziness & online polls/searches. Tune in to find out which country at EURO 2024 has the best national dish, who is empirically speaking the sexiest of the 24 head coaches, why Niklas Füllkrug has the best ‘Personal life’ section on Wikipedia and why Ralf Rangnick has taken the Aust
The EURO 2024 coffee dealer, San Marino’s water slide away day & North Korea’s secret score
EURO 2024 is just around the corner and we have put the tournament under the spotlight in typically Sweeper style in Part 1. How did Austria’s Maximilian Entrup go from a third-tier amateur/PE teacher to a place at EURO 2024 in the space of a year? Does Georgia’s Budu Zivzivadze harbour any regrets about choosing football over chess? Who is the only player at the tournament currently on the books of a third-tier European club? And where does Latvia’s 0-0 draw with Germany in 2004 rank among the
Greenland’s CONCACAF bid, crutch fights in Africa & a 41-goal swing in Hungary
Greenland tops the agenda in Part 1 following the news of their CONCACAF application and their friendly against Turkmenistan – the Arctic island's first game against a senior men’s national team since 2013. But what are their odds of making it into the governing body of North and Central America & the Caribbean? Where will they play their home games? And how did they engineer a friendly against the national team of one of the world’s most repressive countries?
In Part 2, we look at some more hea
Quirky football stadia, the Corsica Cup & the Turkmen team that always wins
Part 1 contains an international round-up of European minnows inside and outside of UEFA. In which version of football has Gibraltar become a European champion? Why has Corsica recently hosted their counterparts from Sardinia, Sicily & St. Martin? Will we watch San Marino vs. Slovakia from the top of a water slide? And which football stadium straddles an EU/non-EU border?
Up next in Part 2 are a series of records and achievements from across the football world. What remarkable feat did Attack E
Campsites in Luxembourg, proposals in Albania & free sausages in Finland
Part 1 brings you a full round-up of all the news from the Benelux countries. What controversial actions recently earned a Dutch referee a lifelong ban from football? Why are two storied Belgian clubs facing an existential threat? And what strange series of events could lead to European football being played on a Luxembourgish campsite this summer?
Next up in Part 2 is a round-up of all the action from the rest of Europe. How have Sturm Graz finally managed to dethrone Red Bull Salzburg and does
An expedition in Kyrgyzstan, Romania’s twin identity saga & Sweden’s toilet goal
Part 1 of the latest Sweeper sees Lee & Paul profile three clubs from around the football world: Italians Como, Australia’s Central Coast Mariners & Petrocub of Moldova. Join us to find out where Italy’s richest club might be playing their Serie A home games next term, why the Central Coast Mariners have flown 100,000km in economy class this season and how a Ghanaian takeover has propelled Petrocub to Super Liga success.
In Part 2, the team swap the serious journalism for a selection of silly st
Spain’s tiniest football town, North Sea pizza planes & a Dutch double invasion
Is this the best-ever Sweeper line-up? In Part 1, Lee & Paul discuss stories from the lower tiers in Spain, Germany & the Netherlands. How has a team from a Spanish village
of 100 people gained promotion? What are the smallest European settlements with a football team? Why did a German footballer hire a plane for a derby on a neighbouring island? And how can the longest journey in Dutch football be between two towns that are 4km apart?
Part 2 contains more stories from across the European cont
The Valletta funeral parade, Al Ahly’s unique feat & dark arts in Chechnya
Having just visited Malta and witnessed an historic weekend of football, Lee tells Paul all about the key events in Europe’s only island micro-state in Part 1. Who came out on top in the title-decider between Ħamrun Spartans & Floriana? Why do Valletta hold a funeral parade through the streets when they win the league? How has the island reacted to the capital club’s first relegation? And what is it like to accidentally get caught up in a bus parade?
Part 2 is dedicated to three big stories on
Algerian airport anger, a 560km voyage to Mauritius & a Transylvanian cup run
Part 1 is all about Africa, where a kit controversy has escalated into a geopolitical dispute between Algeria & Morocco ahead of the CAF Confederations Cup semi-final between USM Alger & RS Berkane. Elsewhere on the continent, Rising FC from Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean have made the long voyage to mainland Mauritius to take part in the cup, winning their last-32 tie!
It's back to Europe - or at least, UEFA - in Part 2 as Paul & Lee discuss the 'Isolation Derby' between SKA Khabarovsk &
The fabulous Fenix Trophy, Nordic nonsense & Liechtenstein’s quirky cup
The latest Sweeper starts off in windy Wales with our visit to the game between Llantwit Major & Enfield Town in the Fenix Trophy and a wider look at the tournament regarded as the Champions League of non league. Then we're off to Scandinavia for some goalkeeper heroics, cupsets & geographical extremes, before finishing Part 1 in little Liechtenstein, where FC Vaduz will likely set a world record next month.
With Bayer Leverkusen having claimed the first league title in their 120-year history, P
Copa Chile charm, Peruvian player names & a transfer to Tanzania
This episode of The Sweeper begins with a focus on South American domestic cup competitions. We hear about the Juan Fernández Islands – 670km off the coast of Chile – taking part in the Copa Chile as a special invitee and the unusual journey opponents Santiago Wanderers must take to reach them. Up next is Ecuador’s non-existent cup competition and the story of a team called Bonita Banana ('Beautiful Banana'), followed by some terrible pitches and hideously named players in Peru.
With Sudan’s Al
North Korean no-show, Georgian jubilation & glorious groundhopping
First up on this episode of The Sweeper, we delve deeper into North Korea’s mysterious cancellation of their World Cup qualifier against Japan and look back at memorable moments in the hermit kingdom’s football history. Then we’re off to Georgia to hear about the nation’s maiden qualification for a major tournament, before we chat through Austria's Rangnick resurgence as they shape up to be EURO 2024 dark horses.
After the break it’s time to show some love for groundhoppers and to hear some ama
San Marino’s 20 years of hurt, Austria’s six-second goal & Burrito Brava joy
Fresh from his trip to San Marino, Paul reflects on the attempt by FIFA’s lowest ranked country to break a 20-year winless streak against Saint Kitts & Nevis, before Lee rounds up the other international news - from the Basque Country's draw with Uruguay to the 'End of the Alphabet Derby - and Producer Tom chips in with a live report as Austria break an all-time record.
After the break, we hop on over to the USA to hear about New York City vs. Toronto at Yankee Stadium - there are few fixtures
The 'Virgin Derby', Basque aspirations & a record return in Romania
This episode of The Sweeper begins by looking at the Virgin Derby between the British Virgin Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands in 2026 World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, a non-FIFA team, the Basque Country face Uruguay and may harbour UEFA aspirations.
The Danish Superligaen strikes a huge blow to the European Super League, which might now be forced to rebrand, a Romanian coach returns to the same club for a 10th spell int the dugout and we play a Sweeper version of Who Wants To Be A Millionair
The American (Samoan) Dream, a Scilly showdown & Swedish kayak smugglers
The latest episode of The Sweeper kicks off with a tour of Oceania and the incredible story of two French journalists with an American (Samoan) Dream, before moving on to Pacific neighbours Micronesia & Nauru and their new coaches. David Johnson & Charlie Pomroy, who both partly credit the pod for their appointments, have sent us voice notes from their respective islands.
Sticking with the island theme but moving back over to Europe, Part 2 starts in the Scilly Isles: the British archipelago is
Tifos & ultras in Prague, Croatian VAR controversy & Argentina's park derby
On this episode of The Sweeper, we discuss our trip to Prague along with Patreon competition winner Joe McTaggart to watch the derby between Slavia and Sparta in the Czech Cup and enjoy a 24-hour whirlwind of Ultra-brewed beer, pyro and tifos.
VAR controversies have rocked Croatia, where the head of referees Bruno Maric has resigned, derbies both real and mock have excited Argentina and there’s a strange case in Mongolia of a club who changed identity halfway through the season.
To hear the bon
Dating app dismissals, CONIFA anthem anxiety & a Sunday service with the Queen
The Premier League and the rest of Europe’s top five divisions totally dominate the football headlines, but have you ever wondered what other interesting news and stories the rest of European football and world football have to offer? If so, The Sweeper is the football podcast for you!
On this episode, Turkish footballer Emirhan Delibaş is sacked by his club Beşiktaş for his profile on the dating app Bumble and Irishman Dylan Connolly receives a Facebook invitation to play in the OFC Champions
San Marino setbacks, the new FIFA Series & a Football Manager nerd in Iceland
We kick off the podcast by announcing the news that we have moved to a shorter weekly format with a longer third segment available to patrons only. Then we’re straight to the familiar backdrop of San Marino and lowest ranked national football team in the world’s loss of two goalkeepers in two days. We then analyse San Marino’s chances of breaking their 20-year winless run in 2024 – as they have a double-header against St. Kitts and Nevis and Nations League clashes with Liechtenstein and Gibralta
High-speed car chases, Anguillan adventures & a German giant in decline
Part 1 of this Sweeper podcast kicks off with an alternative look at the transfer window and Arturo Vidal’s dramatic helicopter & horseback unveiling at Colo Colo, before moving onto some of the best, worst & oddest transfer announcements in history. Continuing the transfer theme, we hear about a strange signing by Vilaverdense in Portugal's second tier and then go to Italy for the bizarre story of a young player who stole a team-mate’s car and got caught up in a high-speed police chase! We then
Bonus Pod Sample: Pharoahs fall, Einstein inspires & Maidstone magic
This is the opening segment of our latest bonus podcast, which we make for our Patreon community in the weeks without regular episodes & are now giving you the chance to listen to for a limited time only. If you want to hear the rest of the episode, become a patron at patreon.com/sweeperpod. Enjoy the show!
Episode description
The latest Sweeper bonus podcast begins with AFCON and a look at Ivory Coast’s remarkable renaissance thanks to a penalty shootout victory over Senegal. Speaking of spot-k
Derby day in Madeira, AFCON’s unlikely heroes and a crisis in Cambodia
The opening segment of this Sweeper episode is all about our first trip of 2024 - to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where we took in the derby between local teams Marítimo and Nacional. We also delve a little bit deeper into the unique football culture on the island with the help of some supporters and try to answer the big question that has been on our minds since the end of last season in Portugal's Primeira Liga: why are there no island clubs in the top flight for the first time since 1984
Azeri cakes & coaches, football’s final frontier in the Pacific & the Livonian League
The first Sweeper episode of 2024 kicks off with some Azerbaijan anecdotes in Part 1. We discuss Adrian Mutu’s harsh sacking and some tasty treats from Turan Tovuz. From Mutu we switch to another ex-Premier League player in Pascal Chimbonda and his antics in charge of ninth-tier English side Skelmersdale. Finally, we talk about the Vatican City where registration is open for the league season in the world’s smallest country - but not just anyone can take part.
In Part 2 we go remote and delve i
Robinhood’s Caribbean double, Pontypridd’s 141-point deduction & a Herculean effort against Ajax
The final Sweeper episode of 2023 starts off with a look at continental competitions across the world in Part 1. We talk about the CONCACAF Champions Cup with its incredible away trips and interesting array of clubs – from Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami to Robinhood of Suriname, who have won a Caribbean double this year – and the AFC Champions League, where Ventforet Kofu of Japan have sensationally become the first second-division club to ever reach the knockout stages.
Part 2 kicks off with a chat
The Belgian Cup arcade claw draw, Turkmenistan’s debutant champions & the Botafogo bottle job in Brazil
Download Momento: acmomento.onelink.me/ckkf/SweeperPod
Once we found out that the draw for the Belgian Cup quarter-finals was conducted using a former footballer and an arcade claw machine, there was nowhere else we were going to start this episode. But domestic cup competitions across Europe have produced plenty of other notable stories over the past fortnight too, including another Bundesliga scalp for third-tier Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal, Copa del Rey elimination at the hands of fourth-div
The magic of the Coupe de France, Colo Colo’s trip to Easter Island & Spain's Mascot Olympics
With overseas territories from all over the world taking part, the Coupe de France is one of the world’s most intriguing domestic football competitions. But who funds it? How do they decide who plays home and away? And could an overseas side play in a UEFA competition if they won the tournament. In Part 1, co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson answer all the key questions about the French Cup and reflect on their recent journey to the sleepy rural town of Saint-Mesmin to watch sixth-tier Saint-Mé
Frantic season finales in Scandinavia, the Te Runga Games in Kiribati & the sad story of Raphael Dwamena
The Nordic nations served up tension, drama and excitement in abundance at the weekend as several titles were decided by the narrowest of margins. The Swedish men’s and women’s titles came down to goal difference, as did a bonkers goal-laden battle for promotion in the Norwegian third tier. That got co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson racking their brains about the closest title races in history in Part 1, with England, Azerbaijan and Austria all getting a mention. As do Sexy Pants, who have un
The KÍ Klaksvík miracle with Daniel Storey, our visit to the Czech team that lost 9-5 & a perfect season in Tonga
KÍ Klaksvík have been the European football story of the season since they became the first club from the Faroe Islands to reach the group stages of a UEFA competition. But they didn’t stop there and have since followed up a draw at home to 2021 Ligue 1 winners Lille with a famous victory over Olimpija Ljubljana. Daniel Storey, the chief football writer at the i and a regular panelist on The Totally Football Show, was in the Faroes to witness the historic moment and joins us in Part 1 to tell us
A GOAL FOR SAN MARINO, Thailand’s trip to McDonald's & a YMCA-inspired fairytale in Norway
With another week packed full of international action in Europe, Asia and beyond, plus a selection of splendid club football stories and some superb listener emails, co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson once again had plenty of niche football talking points to dig their teeth into on the latest episode of the Sweeper Podcast. And that was before San Marino sent Football Twitter into meltdown by scoring their first competitive goal in more than two years against 18th-ranked Denmark, forcing the p
An alternative World Cup for FIFA's worst 32 nations, Mozart bashing the Red Bulls with a violin & the enclave derby in Spanish North Africa
The Sweeper crew have been going viral on social media recently. Paul Watson proposed a World Cup for the 32 worst-ranked countries in the world on Twitter – and it turns out a lot of people want to see it! Paul explains in Part 1 how it might work and who might win it, before the discussion turns to Pakistan and which countries might be the first to be eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying.
In Part 2, fellow host Lee Wingate talks about his recent travels across Austria – first as the pitch
The Antarctic micronation with a football team, island time in the Coupe de France & the Costa Rican mascot race
Sweeper co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson have (quite literally) gone to the ends of the earth for this episode, Part 1 of which kicks off with a trip to Antarctica - where a Belgian-backed micronation has launched its own football team to mark its 15th anniversary - and continues with a look at the representative from St. Pierre & Miquelon that travelled 4,000km to the French mainland to play a cup tie.
The unique away day theme continues in Part 2 as we look at quirky geographical features th
The Indonesian team travelling in a tank, the offside rule loophole discovered in Sweden & the Austrian club president handing out cash
It's time for another episode of The Sweeper with co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson, who has penned the first chapter of his sequel to the hit book 'Up Pohnpei' - all about his adventures in Micronesian football. We talk all about it in Part 1 of this episode, before discussing the Indonesian team travelling in a tank and the Slovenian club president scoring goals in a desperate situation.
Part 2 starts off with a couple of stories from Sweden: lower-league Torns IF have discovered a loophole i
The Greenlandic Football Championship, Raków's remarkable rise & the Latvian refs breathalysed by police
Located at the intersection of Europe and North America, Greenland boasts the unique selling point of having the shortest season in world football - at one week long. The first part of the latest episode of 'The Sweeper' sees presenter Lee Wingate talk all about the 2023 Greenlandic Football Championship with co-host Paul Watson, who reflects on his own journey to Nuuk seven summers ago.
Part 2 kicks off with a shout-out for KÍ Klaksvík & Zrinjski Mostar, the first-ever clubs from the Faroe Isla
Fairytale summer for the Faroes, father v. son battles in the Champions League & a reindeer hunt in Greenland
Who needs the European group stages? It's clearly all about the qualifying rounds - and with a major milestone for the Faroe Islands, notable results for Andorra and Malta, and a number of other captivating storylines across the continent, there's plenty for co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson to get stuck into on this episode of The Sweeper.
In Part 1, Lee & Paul start off by talking (once again) about team of the moment KÍ Klaksvík and another headline from the Nordic nations: the Icelandic you
Micronesia's first-ever futsal tournament, KÍ Klaksvík's Champions League heroics & the contested fate of two Crimean clubs
The Sweeper crew have been to Liechtenstein and San Marino in recent months – but the 26,000km round-trip to Micronesia was by far our biggest off-the-beaten-track football adventure. Having now overcome the jetlag, Paul has the full story on the Pacific nation’s first-ever futsal tournament and its newly assembled Football Association.
Part 1 sees us reflect on Paul’s past in Micronesia as the world's youngest international football coach, the Twitter DM from Kenny that changed everything,
The Island Games in Guernsey, Arctic Circle dominance in Norway & the European qualifying rounds
You might think there's not much going on in the football world at the height of summer - but there are in fact plenty of talking points to be explored by Sweeper co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson, who is recording the pod ahead of his mammoth 60-hour, 13,229km journey from London to Micronesia to watch the nation's first-ever futsal tournament.
Part 1 is dedicated to our very favourite part of the European football calendar: the qualifying rounds for the UEFA club competitions. We discuss the
San Marino fail to win 130th game in a row, Ildefons Lima sets all-time records & the Children's Hospice win the Vatican treble
The club season might be over in 42 UEFA countries, but co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson have plenty of stand-out international headlines to work their way through on the latest episode of The Sweeper, which was edited by Tom Middler.
The first segment of the pod is dedicated to Lee's trip to see San Marino, who extended their unwanted world-record winless run to 130 games against Kazakhstan in Parma - despite giving a pretty impressive account of themselves in the first half.
The next segme
Balotelli's haircut twin spoils promotion party, Mongolian player cycles to Old Trafford & Ruch Chorzów complete the ultimate comeback
Lee Wingate and Paul Watson return with some more tales of football off the beaten track, including some live experiences on opposite sides of the globe, a quirky football geography segment and some of their favourite other stories from across the European continent.
Lee kicks off the first segment with the remarkable story of Austrian club GAK, whose meteoric rise from the eighth to the first tier in the space of a decade was ruined in the last second by Mario Balotelli's haircut twin, before P
Cups & cults in Liechtenstein, mistimed bus parades in Luxembourg & colossal away days in Kazakhstan
Pod duo Lee Wingate and Paul Watson are back with another carefully curated batch of weird and wonderful stories from across the football world, with Tom Middler returning to the virtual studio to produce the episode.
Lee reflects on his trip to Liechtenstein’s Cup Final - where FC Vaduz unsurprisingly win a world-record 49th domestic cup - and his subsequent 50km hike through the hills to see all seven football stadiums in the micro-state in the space of 24 hours.
Promotions and relegations ar
Match-fixing scandal rocks Belarus, cycling toddler invades pitch in Finland & 49-year-old goalie keeps clean sheet in Faroes
Co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson return to the virtual studio on their opposite sides of the Channel for another audio journey around the world of football in the space of 45 minutes, with extended Sweeper family member Tom Middler returning as producer.
The football season may be winding down but that means it’s cup final time across the continent. Lee is preparing to travel to see the showpiece event in Liechtenstein between Balzers & Vaduz and hike to every stadium in the country the foll
Former pub team win trophy in Gibraltar, Spanish side lose every game for 11 years & Viktor Orbán-back clubs make waves outside Hungary
With the majority of the European seasons nearing a conclusion and the 12 summer leagues now up and running, there is plenty for hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson to sink their teeth into on the latest edition of The Sweeper.
Having revealed his tentative plans to become a sporting director at a sixth-division Italian club, Paul is reminded of his claim that he could beat Man Utd defender Axel Tuanzebe's Guinness World Record for clearing a Hungry Hippos board in 17.36 seconds & is challenged by L
Croatian coach makes players train at 1am, Welsh team releases dinosaur kit design & Chinese boy breaks ball-juggling world record
Hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson return to the virtual studio for another episode of The Sweeper - the show that goes further and wider than any other football podcast out there.
Beer is the recurring theme in the opening segment, where Paul tells the story of the Polish referees that allegedly got drunk on a flight to Greece & Lee laughs at the Croatian coach who made his players train at 1 in the morning after getting home from an away game.
We then have a brief chat with Louis Jones from our s
Alderney's 103-year wait goes on, a university student represents Gibraltar & Northern Irish village club Loughgall pursue promotion
The Sweeper crew return to review and reflect upon the standout stories from across the 55 UEFA countries & beyond in late March and early April.
Paul looks back on his memorable trips to Alderney and San Marino, who are on some of the longest winless streaks in world football, while Lee waxes lyrical about Kazakhstan and shares two notable stories from Gibraltar.
There's an excellent April Fool's Day joke by the Norwegian FA, a look at the wacky world of Welsh football, some contenders for the
Snowball sh*thousery in Norway, strange sideline antics in Italy & a deep dive into Gibraltar
In the latest instalment of The Sweeper, studio sidekicks Lee Wingate and Paul Watson cast the net far and wide to round up all the niche global football action in the first half of March.
Paul reflects on his time as the world's youngest international manager (sort of) and the dormant plans to bring his remote adventure to the big screen, while Lee tries to get to grips with Europe's most bizarre league format in Moldova.
There's a comical touchline moment in Serie B, a historical hiding in Hol
Sheriff break ground for Moldova, managerial mayhem at Sion & a scandal in Somalia
Hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson round up all the quirky, random and bizarre news and stories from across the 55 UEFA countries and beyond in the second half of February.
Unperturbed by the foiled coup in their country, Sheriff Tiraspol become the first Moldovan club to reach the last 16 of a European competition, while Lech Poznań end a 32-year wait for Poland, Belgian clubs enjoy some penalty shootout success and there is a truly horrendous own goal in Denmark.
Sion are in the spotlight after
Kazu Miura playing in Portugal aged 55, prisoners attend game in Romania & a furniture supplier intervenes in Belgium
More of the European football stories you won't hear elsewhere from the first half of February - but this time there's a twist: The Sweeper goes global for the first time.
Hosts Lee and Paul Watson discuss their most memorable football experiences in Enfield and Győr respectively, before switching the focus to the tragic earthquake in Türkiye and its impact on the Süper Lig.
Japan legend Kazu Miura rocks up at second-tier Oliveirense in Portugal aged 55 - but is he the oldest professional player
Maccabi Netanya end Israeli trophy drought, a Maltese club president wants to play & the meteoric rise of Cosmos in San Marino
After 18 months in the podcast wilderness, The Sweeper is back - with the new-look team of Lee Wingate and Paul Watson getting their teeth stuck straight into the quirkiest stories European football has to offer.
The first Solomon Islander to ever sign a professional contract in Europe pens a deal in Bosnia, while a club president in Malta contemplates resignation in order to register himself as a player.
Cosmos go from bottom last season to top of the pile this term in San Marino - but what's b
The Sweeper: Matt Walker's Europe United - October 2021
Lee talks to Matt Walker about five more of the countries on his spectacular continental football journey. This time Lithuania, Latvia, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan are up for discussion; including stories of a taxi ride with a former international, some Kim Jong-Un masks on show in Ireland, and a serious chat about whether the Baltic leagues might fold.
The Sweeper - July 2021
The Sweeper is back after a short EURO break!
Lee & Tom talk about the tournament just gone, before pushing the boundaries of UEFA's leagues with a virtual visit to Greenland where we spoke to FA boss Finn Meinel, as well as prominent coach Tekle Ghebrelul.
We then called in Richard D Pike (@RichDPike89) to discuss the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, how it all works, and how it could affect European football going forward.
The Sweeper Bonus Episode - Matt Walker's Europe United - June 2021
The next monthly dose of our series with Matt Walker, who talks to Lee Wingate about his mission to watch a football match in all 55 UEFA countries within one season.
On the agenda this time are countries 6-10: Finland, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Russia & Belarus.
For more on Matt’s travels, check out his book “EUROPE UNITED”, which is OUT NOW!
The Sweeper - June 2021
The Sweeper podcast returns with another monthly dose of drama from Europe's 55 most lovable leagues! This month we have an abundance of late season stories with heroes and villains, surprise squad inclusions, and of course our main features; the astounding EURO triumphs of Denmark & Greece, and the Bulgarian champions who just keep on winning! Hosted by Lee Wingate & Tom Middler, featuring interviews with George Tsitsonis, Sebastian Stanbury and Metodi Shumanov.
The Sweeper Bonus Episode - Matt Walker's Europe United - May 2021
Tales from Georgia, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Iceland...
Matt Walker, the man who saw a game in every one of Europe's 55 top leagues in one single season, speaks to The Sweeper with some extraordinary stories from 5 of those 55 nations.
For more, read his book "EUROPE UNITED" which is OUT NOW!
The Sweeper - May 2021
In the first episode of The Sweeper, Tom and Lee round up alternative stories from across the continent, starting with a look at how seven years of conflict have shaped the football landscape in Ukraine.
They also call in the local experts to explore some regional Super League projects that might be more appealing to fans than the European Super League ever was, and chat about everything that caught the eye in the last month of European football.
(Recorded May 1st)
The Sweeper (Trailer) - A First Glimpse of Goal
A short clip taken from the pilot episode of The Sweeper Podcast! Coming soon...