In Part 1, Lee and Paul investigate why Slovakia have finally been recognised as EURO 1976 winners 49 years later – with the help of a UEFA insider, a Slovak football podcaster and people on the ground in the capital, Bratislava. How is the successor country of a no-longer existing nation like Czechoslovakia determined? What brought about the update on UEFA’s website on 12 September? And what do Slovaks make of the bizarre timing of this decision?

In Part 2, the focus switches to the Italian lower leagues. There’s a mafia infiltration at Crotone at Foggia, as various criminal gangs target teams based in the south of Italy. Further north, Ternana appoint the 23-year-old daughter of a billionaire as their new club president. And Italy-based FC Südtirol face WSG Tirol of Austria, the club with only one away fan (sort of), in an intriguing match-up of two teams based in regions that used to be in the same country.

#slovakia #euro1976 #uefa #worldfootball #footballpodcast #crotone #ternana #seriec #serieb #italianfootball

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#MakeItHappen – Montserrat v India friendly

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The Sweeper team

• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson

• Editor: Ralph Foster

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

00:51 – Czechoslovakia's EURO 1976 win

05:27 – Football successor nations

09:28 – UEFA's recognition for Slovakia

14:21 – Reaction from Bratislava

25:47 – Montserrat's challenge to India

30:04 – Crotona's mafia infiltration

35:00 – Atalanta U23s in Serie C south

37:47 – Ternana's 23-year-old club president

42:17 – Serie C on FIFA+

44:04 – Battle of the Italian & Austrian Tyrols

46:10 – WSG Tirol's one away supporter

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In Part 1, Lee & Paul bring you the best stories from the UEFA club competitions. FC Copenhagen are preparing to cross the Øresund Bridge to Sweden in the Champions League, but what record will the tie break? Which Kazakh club located as far east as China could make it into Europe’s premier club tournament for the first time? Why did Welsh side Penybont have to splurge €3,300 on their trip to Lithuania? Is there a more Satnav-friendly international tie than Shelbourne v. Linfield? And what can we expect from the new UEFA Women’s Europa Cup?

In Part 2, there are stories from Greenland, Australia, Japan, Norway, Estonia & Bolivia. How did B-67 player Søren Kreutzmann spend his one rest day at the 2025 GreenlandicFootball Championship in Nuuk? What all-time record did fourth-tier Nunawading City set in the Australian Cup round of 32? Which Japanese university team has been making headlines in the Emperor’s Cup? How could Lillestrøm be knocked out of the 2026 Norwegian Cup before contesting the 2025 final? And what on earth is Colombian footballer Efmamjjasond González named after?!

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Editor: Ralph Foster

In this episode of The Sweeper Podcast, we cover the big stories from 2026 World Cup qualifying and the latest international football news from Europe and beyond:

Part 1: Europe

• Austria’s stadium sinkhole saga continues as Ralf Rangnick takes to an e-bike
• Romania’s Mircea Lucescu becomes the second-oldest international coach ever
• Kosovo are unofficial world champions - but continue to face geopolitical challenges
• Erling Haaland apologises mid-game as Norway beat Moldova by record 11-1 score
• Slovakia and Iceland upset the odds to record famous World Cup qualifying wins

Part 2: Rest of the world

• Suriname turn around their fortunes with sports passport initiative & Dutch DNA
• Bolivia rely on altitude again to give themselves an edge in World Cup qualifying
• Uzbekistan continue incredible year by beating Iran to win 2025 CAFA Nations Cup
• Nepal cancel Bangladesh friendly due to civil unrest & elect new leader on Discord
• Northern Mariana Islands’ U23s face China in one of football’s biggest mismatches

The Sweeper is the global football podcast bringing you weird and wonderful stories from every corner of the planet. Whether you're into underdogs and upsets, ultras and fan culture, groundhopping and travel, derbies and rivalries, geography and geopolitics, or simply want a break from the relentless churn of big-money football, The Sweeper has you covered!

Support The Sweeper:

• Join The Sweeper on Patreon
• Support The Sweeper on Buy Me A Coffee

The Sweeper team

• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
• Editor: Ralph Foster

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Austrian sink holes and bicycles

05:34 – Mircea Lucescu: Football’s oldest coach?

09:08 – The 2025 Amateur Nations Cup

11:14 – The World Tram Driver Championship

13:48 – Kosovo’s unofficial world title

16:18 – UEFA’s seven banned match-ups

21:35 – Norway’s demolition job on Moldova

26:33 – Celebrations for Slovakia & Iceland

31:03 – Suriname’s World Cup push

34:59 – Bolivia’s strategic masterclass

38:25 – New Caledonia’s Gibraltar friendly

40:56 – Uzbekistan are Central Asian champions

42:29 – Nepal’s protest-related cancellation

45:02 – China’s U23s thrash Northern Mariana Islands

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In Part 1, Lee and Paul are joined by travel YouTuber John McAllister to talk about his epic 5,000km overland journey from Wales to Kazakhstan to watch the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier. There’s also a full round-up of the UEFA club competition action – including Kairat Almaty's Champions League heroics, Malta’s first-ever league phase participants, Universitatea Craiova’s naughty stadium announcer and the Basel-Freiburg airport derby.

In Part 2, it’s off to the Pacific to put the new OFC Professional League under the microscope. There is a full breakdown of the newly announced eight-club line-up, the format and all the big talking points around Oceania’s first pro competition, which is set to launch in 2026. Also on the agenda are Tuvalu’s upcoming return to OFC competition in the Men’s Futsal Cup, a giveaway of a rare national team shirt and a round-up of all the action coming up on FIFA+.

Sign up to FIFA+ for free:

• 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 FIFA+ football team to support.

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The Sweeper team

• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
• Editor: Ralph Foster

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In Part 1, Lee & Paul round up their favourite European football stories – which all have a geography theme. How is fishing village club Mjällby on the cusp of a shock first Swedish title? Why did fellow minnows Bruk-Bet Termalica have to cut down the corn fields around their stadium? Which two Lithuanian teams contested the ‘Centre of Europe’ derby at the weekend? And what Belgian club is based on Europe’s weirdest international border?

In Part 2, it’s time for the rest of the world – starting with international debutants the Marshall Islands! Which historic feat was achieved by Madison University economics student Josiah Blanton? Which other player at the Outrigger Challenge Cup works for Disney+ in Denmark? Why did airlines refuse to take Haitian club AS Capoise to the CFU Club Shield in Trinidad & Tobago? And who are the tallest and shortest currently active pro footballers?

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“How Mjällby are gatecrashing Sweden's elite” by BBC Sport: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/crm4wjdr7xpo

“I Became a Football Team’s ONLY Fan” by Away Days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNwvsRKCpCI

World's oldest professional footballer on playing at 59: 'I won't put limits on myself' by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jun/17/worlds-oldest-professional-footballer-playing-at-59-mykola-lykhovydov-ukraine

Editor: Ralph Foster

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Hello everyone,

As you will have heard on previous episodes, there will be no regular pod this time around as we take our first (short) break from podding since we started The Sweeper in February 2023. But never fear, we'll be back before you know it, with the next fortnightly episode planned in the next slot on Wednesday 6 August.

In the meantime, a big thank-you from the two of us. We love every second of making this pod and without you, our listeners, who tune in to every episode, send us stories, give us feedback and support us on Patreon, it simply would not be possible. So thank you! Enjoy your July and we'll catch you at the start of next month!

Cheers,

Lee and Paul

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In Part 1, Lee and Paul bring you the best stories from the European continent. How could YOU get involved with the first proper club in the world's smallest country? Why do Tromsø, the world's northernmost professional team, play one Eliteserien match per season at midnight? Which Guinness World Record do the Bosnia & Herzegovina Women's Premier League champions SFK 2000 hold? And how did the Cold War delay a European tie between Northern Ireland's Glenavon and Germany's Aue by 65 years?

In Part 2, the stories are from the rest of the world. In China, a tournament between AI robot footballers takes place. But will they ever be good enough to face humans? Meanwhile, Palau remains the only country in the world without an active Football Association – which goes some way to explaining why Paul was allowed to play (and score) in their domestic league. And in Mauritius, LaCure Waves have won the cup without a recognised goalkeeper for the quarter-final or semi-final. But why are they still seething with the powers-that-be?

Rayo Vaticano Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soyrayovaticano

Rayo Vaticano e-mail: soyrayovaticano@gmail.com

Guardian profile of SFK 2000: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/29/sfk-2000-sarajevo-bosnia-and-herzegovina-womens-football-moving-the-goalposts

The Blizzard Issue 57: https://forwardpress.imbmsubscriptions.com/sweeper10

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Editor: Ralph Foster

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