The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Lee Wingate and Paul Watson

Are you tired of the Premier League and want to discover the hidden stories of the global game? The Sweeper tells the most extraordinary stories from across the football world. From the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure competitions on earth, experts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson explore the intersection of soccer, travel, geography, geopolitics and history. If you enjoy Guardian Football Weekly, The Totally Football Show or Football Ramble, you'll love The Sweeper. Start here: 🎧 North Korea’s top-secret league (3 March 2026) 🎧 Greenland left out in the cold (24 June 2025)

  1. APR 7

    Bosnia’s poker player at the World Cup – Plus Ceuta coach’s Rome pledge & Nauru’s 1 child 1 ball initiative

    A former poker player has coached Bosnia to the World Cup! Sergej Barbarez has guided the Balkan country to the tournament in his first head coach role – at the expense of four-time champions Italy. So how did he go from the casino for the dugout? Why has qualification cost his striker Ermedin Demirovic €300,000? And how are Bosnia at a second World Cup without ever making the EUROs? In this episode, we explore brilliant Bosnia’s incredible journey and reflect on Iraq and DR Congo’s play-offs successes too. Plus, the Ceuta coach pledges to walk to Rome and Nauru launch their one child, one ball initiative. Nutmeg Magazine (You can buy the magazine for a special Sweeper discount rate of £10 by using the code 'sweeper' at checkout): https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/product/issue-39/ Nauru's 1 Child 1 Ball Initiative: https://stingz.co/pages/nauru-soccer-federation-one-child-one-ball-initiative?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ8cvxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEelDO7Gm-3sFxEpJ4A-iTsjaeuk0DmhnSSu4YoASfMxIsy-KbfggLYXbPp-qE_aem_QArFYavpkwgspTpT7riFWA Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:26 – Bosnia’s poker-playing coach 15:20 – Iraq’s 21-match qualifying campaign 19:32 – DR Congo and the legend of Zaire 23:39 – Nutmeg magazine’s World Cup issue 26:24 – Ceuta coach’s pledge to walk to Rome 31:40 – Nauru’s 1 child 1 ball initiative

    38 min
  2. MAR 17

    Iran's possible World Cup withdrawal – Plus the Barca fan at the wrong St. James’ Park & Llantwit Major’s wacky cup run

    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/sweeperpod⁠ The Guardian on the 1930 World Cup: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/13/world-cup-stunning-moments-25-conte-verde-uruguay The 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-barefoot Chapters 00:00 – Intro 00:55 – Iran’s World Cup predicament 04:35 – USA fit to host tournament? 08:09 – Scenario 1 – Iran play at World Cup 11:25 – Historical precedents for withdrawals 16:40 – Scenario 2 – Iran withdraw from World Cup 20:55 – Barca fan’s extreme travel mix-up 29:17 – Llantwit Major’s wacky cup run

    32 min

About

Are you tired of the Premier League and want to discover the hidden stories of the global game? The Sweeper tells the most extraordinary stories from across the football world. From the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure competitions on earth, experts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson explore the intersection of soccer, travel, geography, geopolitics and history. If you enjoy Guardian Football Weekly, The Totally Football Show or Football Ramble, you'll love The Sweeper. Start here: 🎧 North Korea’s top-secret league (3 March 2026) 🎧 Greenland left out in the cold (24 June 2025)

You Might Also Like