The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

29
Soccer #91

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.

Whether it’s a Greenlandic club withdrawing from the championship to go reindeer hunting, scuffles on the sidelines in the Vatican City’s league, a team in Turkmenistan who win every game, or turtles stopping play on Ascension Island, The Sweeper has you covered!

Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/SweeperPod

Audio editing: Ralph Foster & Tom Middler

Graphic design: The Gentlemen Creatives


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent Episodes
  • Oceania’s champion dentist, Uzbekistan’s curse breakers & Venezuelan border sh*thousery
    Jun 10, 2025 – 1:00:39
  • Croatia’s motorway delivery, Sweden’s fishing village leaders & Al Hilal’s Mauritanian title
    May 27, 2025 – 51:23
  • Riots and donkeys in Belgium, Arctic Circle ticket trades & Northern Ireland’s burger kings
    May 13, 2025 – 50:38
  • Avellino's Pope curse, Russia’s fake Zorya Luhansk & Singapore’s Lady Gaga headache
    Apr 29, 2025 – 52:15
  • Holy water in Benin, Greece’s season ticket dog & Ecuador’s indigenous trailblazers
    Apr 15, 2025 – 52:49
  • Footballs in international waters, an Alpine groundhop adventure & Uzbek World Cup dreams
    Apr 1, 2025 – 52:25
  • The trillion-dollar Saudi team, Bosnia’s Serbian champions & Bulgaria's memorable minute's silence
    Mar 18, 2025 – 59:13
  • Japan’s ultimate bench-warmer, Andorra’s YouTube resurrection & Iceland’s volcano-hit team
    Mar 4, 2025 – 48:05
  • Romania's reality TV race, Australia's motorway trophy & the Marshall Islands' vanishing kit
    Feb 18, 2025 – 49:31
  • Ferencváros' ultras in disguise, HamKam 2’s AI coach & Burkina Faso’s bus-funded leaders
    Feb 4, 2025 – 43:12
  • Ascension Island’s tortoise troubles, Omonia’s fan-paid groceries & Lazio’s live-in falconer
    Jan 21, 2025 – 53:04
  • Balzers’ Internet fame, the world’s newest league & The Strongest’s Chocolate Party
    Jan 7, 2025 – 50:15
  • Víkingur’s 13-month season, Vitória’s crazy Kazakh away day & a Career We Go quiz
    Dec 24, 2024 – 50:06
  • Georgia’s bodyguard cup winners, Danish snowball fights & a smuggled skull in Paraguay
    Dec 10, 2024 – 46:47
  • A SAN MARINO PROMOTION, Hispaniola at the Gold Cup & Coupe de France controversy
    Nov 26, 2024 – 47:53
  • Balkan groundhopping, River Plate’s potent paint & Como’s war on Monza
    Nov 12, 2024 – 45:42
  • Montenegro’s mass collapse, Sweden’s perfect runners-up & Auckland’s A-League debut
    Oct 29, 2024 – 44:03
  • Bhutanese monk ultras, a golden era for micro-states & the Southgate of the Solomons
    Oct 15, 2024 – 42:50
  • Switalian adventures, Welsh routes into Europe & the Vatican on tour
    Oct 1, 2024 – 46:52
  • Turks & Caicos' 14-year-old goalie, Bolivia's altitude advantage & Argentina's gun-wielding chairman
    Sep 17, 2024 – 36:22
  • BONUS POD: SAN MARINO WIN A FOOTBALL MATCH!!!
    Sep 5, 2024 – 17:16
  • Europe for Larne & TNS, Papua NG's breakaway league & Comoros’ wizard-loving boss
    Sep 3, 2024 – 46:12
  • Noah’s unique European run, Djibouti’s power plant club & St. Kitts' three-legged final
    Aug 20, 2024 – 46:02
  • A Tongan World Cup dream, Greenland’s Disko Island & Olympic sprinter-footballers
    Aug 6, 2024 – 44:37
  • A victorious Faroese village, 27th time lucky for La Fiorita & North Korea’s ‘Pariah Derby’
    Jul 23, 2024 – 38:49
  • Pub team's European win, a mystery island coaching job & a Sweeper-sponsored team
    Jul 16, 2024 – 36:58
  • Rooftop viewings in Vanuatu, Zivzivadze’s house-turned-hotel & an Eritrean on the move
    Jul 9, 2024 – 33:28
  • The UEFA qualifier quiz, the Marshall Islands’ debut & a delayed Cold War friendly
    Jul 2, 2024 – 34:04
  • OFC Nations Cup chaos, Saint Helena rescue missions & Malaga’s 5am airport welcome
    Jun 25, 2024 – 38:27
  • Kilts and concerts at EURO 2024, a university upset in Japan & an Icelandic village dream
    Jun 18, 2024 – 37:55
  • The EURO 2024 coffee dealer, San Marino’s water slide away day & North Korea’s secret score
    Jun 11, 2024 – 43:00
  • Quirky football stadia, the Corsica Cup & the Turkmen team that always wins
    May 28, 2024 – 37:33
  • Campsites in Luxembourg, proposals in Albania & free sausages in Finland
    May 21, 2024 – 44:48
  • An expedition in Kyrgyzstan, Romania’s twin identity saga & Sweden’s toilet goal
    May 14, 2024 – 35:08
  • Spain’s tiniest football town, North Sea pizza planes & a Dutch double invasion
    May 7, 2024 – 31:37
  • The Valletta funeral parade, Al Ahly’s unique feat & dark arts in Chechnya
    Apr 30, 2024 – 37:34
  • Algerian airport anger, a 560km voyage to Mauritius & a Transylvanian cup run
    Apr 23, 2024 – 35:01
  • The fabulous Fenix Trophy, Nordic nonsense & Liechtenstein’s quirky cup
    Apr 16, 2024 – 40:49
  • Copa Chile charm, Peruvian player names & a transfer to Tanzania
    Apr 9, 2024 – 35:51
  • North Korean no-show, Georgian jubilation & glorious groundhopping
    Apr 2, 2024 – 40:17
  • San Marino’s 20 years of hurt, Austria’s six-second goal & Burrito Brava joy
    Mar 26, 2024 – 34:44
  • The 'Virgin Derby', Basque aspirations & a record return in Romania
    Mar 19, 2024 – 43:22
  • The American (Samoan) Dream, a Scilly showdown & Swedish kayak smugglers
    Mar 12, 2024 – 41:17
  • Tifos & ultras in Prague, Croatian VAR controversy & Argentina's park derby
    Mar 5, 2024 – 41:09
  • Dating app dismissals, CONIFA anthem anxiety & a Sunday service with the Queen
    Feb 27, 2024 – 33:34
  • San Marino setbacks, the new FIFA Series & a Football Manager nerd in Iceland
    Feb 20, 2024 – 30:36
  • High-speed car chases, Anguillan adventures & a German giant in decline
    Feb 6, 2024 – 52:26
  • Derby day in Madeira, AFCON’s unlikely heroes and a crisis in Cambodia
    Jan 23, 2024 – 48:44
  • Azeri cakes & coaches, football’s final frontier in the Pacific & the Livonian League
    Jan 9, 2024 – 51:06
  • Robinhood’s Caribbean double, Pontypridd’s 141-point deduction & a Herculean effort against Ajax
    Dec 26, 2023 – 52:54
Recent Reviews
  • Corvidcatmom
    This would be five stars, but
    I love hearing about all the football stories from around the world, with clubs I didn’t previously know existed. Lee and Paul clearly find such joy in niche and underdog stories, and it’s a genuine pleasure to listen to. The show, however, has slowly begun devoting more time to FIFAPlus infomercials , and that’s both obnoxious and questionable. Come for the great football stories, but be prepared to skip several minutes per episode if you don’t want the marketing nonsense.
  • Nolan921
    Great football podcast for stories you’d never heard anywhere else
    If you’re interested in football stories that aren’t going to make it onto any of your other podcasts, this is the place!
  • Fottball fan689
    Greatest world football podcast
    They look at football from all over and give great stories that are very interesting. Great podcast.
  • B-Zander
    Fantastic!
    If you enjoy hearing about the non-major leagues in Europe, this is for you!
  • ConorMKilroe
    Fun stuff from the outer reaches of the football world!
    Fun stories from the lesser know corners of the football world, a nice balance to the global gazzilionaire playground.
  • Nico Corbo
    5-Star Pod
    Never ceases to tickle my urge to travel while simultaneously spreading stories about the beautiful game. From Saint Pierre and Miquelon to Nauru, Lee and Paul never disappoint with their comprehensive coverage. PS: My Pohnpei kit is a favorite among my collection. Up the Sweeper Pod !
  • ButtzAndSlutz
    A Beautifully Unique Pod
    Just recently found this podcast and I must say it’s quickly become one of my favorites. There are 100’s of soccer podcasts out there but only one that discusses the wonderfully niche subjects that these guys talk about. I find their discussions of smaller leagues around the world a million times more interesting and entertaining than all the others that only touch on the top 5 leagues. Thank you guys and keep up the amazing work. Love from Nebraska ❤️
  • Pshwayz
    This pod is brilliant
    I love learning about as much about the minutiae of the game as I can! You’re brilliant. Thanks for teaching me all the way in Massachusetts! Continued successes!
  • Selb12
    Refreshing Podcast
    As someone who tries to watch as much “random” football as possible, I love this so much, I’m glad I found this pod as it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s refreshing to hear about different teams and leagues from all over the world!
  • ONR33K4Y4
    Geek's dream pod
    If you're anything like me who loves oddities of soccer for their own beautiful sake, there is simply no better podcast.
  • Peter Rees
    Great football podcast from outside the big leagues
    I really enjoyed this podcast on the lesser-known football leagues and competitions from around the world. The presenters continually find interesting and funny stories and anecdotes, and it’s a great listen on football stories I wouldn’t hear or read about anywhere else.
  • goUSA!
    A fun, different perspective on football
    So much coverage of football is focused on the top leagues but it’s refreshing to hear stories from so many other leagues around Europe and the world. Following football is more exciting when perspectives, stories, and news isn’t solely about the prem, la liga, seria a, etc.
  • Bradenton Mike K
    Fascinating and fun
    I live in the USA and mostly see and read coverage of Europe’s Big 5. This podcast is a fun and fascinating look at football in all of the other European countries. Check it out!
  • cocc in a socc
    Great coverage
    So much coverage for the larger leagues it’s great to learn about the others.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.