In Part 1, Lee and Paul are joined by North and Central American football expert Jon Arnold to talk about the craziness in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Why did Curacao fly from Bermuda to Jamaica via London in the November window? Why has Haiti's French coach Sebastien Migne never set foot on the island? How did an uncelebrated last-gasp own goal save Suriname's World Cup hopes? And was it a cowardly move for Steve McClaren to resign as Jamaica coach with the play-offs coming up in March?

In Part 2, the focus switches to three stories across three different continents that have caught our eye at Sweeper HQ: promoted Thun's Swiss title charge, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh's move to Rwanda, and a controversial new championship title in Argentina. What has coach Mauro Lustrinelli done to help Thun take the Super League by storm this season? What exclusive club have the Sudanese duo of Al Hilal and Al Merrikh joined by moving to Rwanda? And will Argentina really have eight title-winners every year?!

More from Jon Arnold:

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jonarnoldfc

Substack newsletter: https://getconcacafed.substack.com

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:51 – Curacao's World Cup miracle

13:17 – Haiti's triumph in face of adversity

23:47 – The own goal that saved Suriname

26:57 – The inter-confederation play-offs

28:35 – Steve McClaren's Jamaica exit

35:40 – Thun's extraordinary Swiss title tilt

39:48 – 2025: The year of the promoted club

41:48 – Sudanese duo's Rwanda move

45:19 – Trivia: Three-country football clubs

46:49 – Argentina's new championship title

51:07 – On The Spot

In Part 1, Lee and Paul are joined by Nathan Joyes, a South American football expert and the host of the Copa Club Podcast to talk about some sensational stories from the CONMEBOL nations this season. Why do Chile’s new champions Coquimbo Unido have a pirate theme? Which strategic decision helped Mirassol rise from the sixth tier to the brink of the Copa Libertadores? Is there something in the water in Argentina, where underdogs are sweeping up the trophies? And which other South American country deserves a special mention?

In Part 2, the focus moves to elsewhere in the southern hemisphere: Oceania. Lee attended the soft launch event for the OFC Pro League, the continent’s first-ever professional competition, and has some interesting nuggets to share. Where and when will the OFC Pro League get under way? How will the tournament benefit the Tahiti and Fiji national teams. Is Christchurch United’s rebrand as South Island United a good or bad decision? And would South Melbourne theoretically be able to represent Oceania at the Club World Cup?

More from Copa Club

Podcast: https://linktr.ee/thecopaclub

Substack: https://thecopaclub.substack.com

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:48 – Chile’s pirate champions

08:53 – Brazil’s meteoric risers

18:47 – Argentina’s year of the underdog

21:03 – Bolivian identity fraud

25:09 – Sweepers On Tour

26:11 – OFC Pro League recap

28:02 – OFCPL: Launches & logistics

33:27 – OFCPL: Coaches & CEOs

37:15 – OFCPL: Rebrands & reserves

40:29 – OFCPL: Non-OFC neighbours

45:16 – On The Spot

In Part 1, Lee sits down with Virslīga President Maksims Krivunecs in Riga for an inside look at the Latvian football landscape. What is Latvia’s unique claim to fame within the 55 UEFA countries? Why have five of the country’s nine different champions since independence gone out of business? What does the average Virslīga footballer earn per month? And why is he in favour of setting up a Baltic League along with Lithuania and Estonia?

In Part 2, Lee returns to the virtual studio to dissect Maksim’s grand plan for a Baltic League and tell Paul all about the live experience at the Latvian Cup final. What format for the Baltic League take and how would the three stages of the competition work? What is the likelihood of it ever happening? Why was the Skonto Stadium in Riga only 14% full for the big match? And what exactly is the strange relationship between Riga FC and Auda FK?

*There is NO official proof on paper of an official relationship between Riga FC and Auda FK. Our source regarding their curious connection is Baltic Football News: balticfootballnews.com

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – The good and bad of Latvian football

04:23 – The vanishing champion problem

12:11 – Memorable European nights

20:05 – The Baltic League grand plan

28:08 – Format, strengths & weaknesses

37:37 – The 2025 Latvian Cup final

47:20 – On The Spot