World Cup 2026: Cape Verde’s Messi meeting, Doctor Congo in dreamland & the Habsburg Derby
30/06/2026 | 36 mins.
The 2026 World Cup group-stage is over – and we’re already under way with the knockout phase of the tournament!
Among the teams in the last 32 are seven knockout debutants: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Canada, DR Congo, Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Cape Verde, who have been the story of the tournament and face Lionel Messi’s Argentina next. But which other countries reached the knockouts on their first-ever World Cup appearance? And which others made it through the group phase with three draws?
Elsewhere, there are some ties with intriguing political backdrops. Austria face Spain in a battle of the two branches of the Habsburg family, while co-hosts Mexico and Ecuador go head-to-head in the Latin American Embassy Derby. There’s also a sinister history between Germany and Paraguay, an assassination plot involving England and DR Congo, and an air base that will link the USA and Bosnia forever.
Plus: South Korea’s president intervenes following the country’s miserable World Cup performance, Marcelo Bielsa has a full-scale meltdown on camera and Tunisia stake a claim for being the worst team at the World Cup.
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Chapters:
00:00 – Intro 02:38 – Debutants and draws 05:10 – Knockout newcomers 10:50 – Cape Verde’s Messi meeting 17:51 – Political pairings 28:11 – Regrets and recriminations
World Cup 2026: The Gijón grudge match, a Dutch royal groundhop & Hervé Renard’s crisp white shirts
23/06/2026 | 32 mins.
It has been another scintillating week of action at the 2026 World Cup, where the final round of group games is about to get under way.
Algeria are preparing to exact revenge against Austria for the ‘Disgrace of Gijón’ 44 years ago, in what may be the biggest grudge match of the tournament, while the Dutch royal family has been groundhopping to watch the Netherlands and Curaçao on the same day.
Elsewhere, Hervé Renard and his crisp white shirts have failed to salvage Tunisia’s campaign, a marriage proposal went wrong at the Uruguay-Cape Verde match and Senegal have resorted to ordering takeaways to their team hotel in the absence of a proper chef.
Plus: Borja Iglesias struggles to get into the Spain training base, an Iranian player has his celebrity aunt to thank for his call-up, German fan Freddy sparks a bidding war from North American airlines and Montevideo tops the all-time World Cup birthplace table.
World Cup 2026: Balogun’s curious US citizenship, Peru’s mascot drug raid & Algeria’s sleep tax
16/06/2026 | 31 mins.
The 2026 World Cup is already producing crazy quirks and hilarious headlines – with the co-host trio of Canada, Mexico and the USA leading the way.
The USMNT have a star striker who gained citizenship by pure coincidence, while the American and Canadian tournament mascots have inspired a Peruvian drug bust and a Mexican duck wearing a national team shirt has gone viral across the world.
Meanwhile, Algeria have begun a love affair with the people of host state Kansas, who have completely thrown their support behind the team, while Scotland are BBQing with AirBnB hosts in Boston and South Korean fans are forging a tequila-based bond in Mexico City.
Plus: Cape Verde stun the football world against Spain, Brazil and Mexico contest the ‘Non-European European Border Derby’, Australia’s refugee strikeforce make a flying start and Algeria top the ‘World Cup Sleep Tax’ table.
Uzbekistan are on the cusp of making their long-awaited World Cup bow.
With former Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro at the helm, the former Soviet republic is about to become the first Central Asian country and the first double-landlocked nation to take part in the greatest show on earth.
But what else do you need to know about the White Wolves before they have even kicked a ball in North America?
In the final episode of our four-part series on the 2026 World Cup debutants, it is all about Uzbekistan, who have shed their decades-long nearly-men tag and arguably boast the best chances of any of the newcomers to the competition.
Plus, DR Congo’s preparations are disrupted by the Ebola outbreak and Bosnia bring the largest coffee pot on the planet to North America.
Join our Curaçao v Germany watch-along on Sunday 14 June at 6pm UK time here.
Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:45 – The coach: Cannavaro’s playing pedigree 04:00 – The players: Khusanov the star man 08:45 – Qualifying: Nearly men no more 11:09 – Group: Portugal, Colombia & DR Congo 13:16 – DR Congo: Ebola outbreak at home 16:44 – Bosnia: The world’s largest coffee pot
Jordan: The World Cup captain who defied his coach
09/06/2026 | 21 mins.
Jordan are at the World Cup finals for the first time ever!
Led by coach Jamal Sellami in the dugout and captain Musa Al-Taamari on the pitch – who do not appear to agree when it comes to tactics – Jordan are set to become the country with the lowest land point to ever play at the finals.
But what else do you need to know about the wonderfully nicknamed Chivalrous Ones ahead of their opening match?
In the third instalment of our four-part series on the 2026 World Cup debutants, we’re turning our attentions to Jordan, who are known for their culinary goal celebrations and seemingly missed the memo for the group-stage draw...
Plus, Panama’s decision to hold an opening training session completely backfires and Norway go full-Viking with their pre-tournament team photo.
Join our Curaçao v Germany watchalong on Sunday 14 June at 6pm UK time here.
Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:45 – The coach: Naturalised citizen Sellami 04:30 – The players: Mutinous captain Al-Taamari 10:40 – Qualifying: Sweet revenge on Iraq 13:05 – Group: Algeria, Argentina & Austria 16:12 – Panama: An opening training session to forget 19:08 – Norway: The epic pre-tournament Viking pic
Tired of the Premier League and big-league European football? Want to discover the hidden stories of the global game?
The Sweeper Podcast is your passport to the most extraordinary stories from across the football world. From the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure and overlooked competitions on earth, expert journalists Lee Wingate and Paul Watson explore the intersection of football, travel, geography, geopolitics, history and culture.
Start here:
🎧 Red Bull’s Italian expansion plans (28 April 2026)
🎧 North Korea’s top-secret league (3 March 2026)
🎧 Greenland left out in the cold (24 June 2025)
Hit “Follow” to discover new stories from the global game every Tuesday. Join us Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for bonus podcasts every Thursday. Contact: hello@sweeperpod.com.
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World soccer archive
The Sweeper is the only podcast committed to covering the beautiful game in all 211 FIFA countries – and beyond. The archives include deep dives into:
EUROPEAN FOOTBALL (UEFA)
• Countries: Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Finland, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine
• Clubs: Austria Salzburg, Bodø/Glimt, Bursaspor, Ceuta, Kairat Almaty, Ludogorets, Mjällby, Paks, Qarabag, Shakhtar Donetsk, Steaua Bucharest, Südtirol, Thun, Vaduz
• Competitions: Champions League, Conference League, Coupe de France, Europa League, European Championship
ASIAN FOOTBALL (AFC)
• Countries: Australia, Bhutan, China, India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• Clubs: Arkadag, Gimcheon Sangmu, Heidelberg United, Johor Darul Taz’im, Machida Zelvia, Mohun Bagan, Neom, Thimphu City
• Competitions: Asian Cup, Challenge League, Champions League 2, Champions League Elite
AFRICAN FOOTBALL (CAF)
• Countries: Algeria, Cape Verde, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Zanzibar
• Clubs: Al Ahly, Al Hilal Omdurman, Mamelodi Sundowns, Pyramids, Rahimo FC, RS Berkane
• Competitions: Africa Cup of Nations, Champions League, Confederation Cup
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICAN FOOTBALL (CONCACAF)
• Countries: Anguilla, Belize, Bonaire, Canada, Curacao, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Montserrat, Suriname, USA
• Clubs: El Farolito, FC Supra du Québec, Robinhood FC, Vancouver Whitecaps
• Competitions: Caribbean Cup, CFU Shield, Champions Cup, Gold Cup
OCEANIAN FOOTBALL (OFC)
• Countries: American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Vanuatu
• Clubs: Auckland FC, Bula FC, Hekari United, Solomon Kings, South Island United, South Melbourne, Tahiti United, Vanuatu FC
• Competitions: OFC Champions League, OFC Pro League
SOUTH AMERICAN FOOTBALL (CONMEBOL)
• Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
• Clubs: Chapecoense, Coquimbo Unido, Mirassol, Mushuc Runa, The Strongest
• Competitions: Copa América, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana
REST OF THE WORLD
• Countries: Bougainville, Greenland, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Scilly Isles, Tuvalu, Vatican City
• Clubs: B67 Nuuk
• Competitions: CONIFA World Football Cup, Fenix Trophy
Topics: Altitude, amateurs, artificial intelligence, away days, cross-border clubs, cross-border leagues, day jobs, defections, derbies, dictatorships, elections, exclaves, fairytales, Football Manager, Futbology, groundhopping, identity, investigative journalism, islands, micro-states, minnows, multi-club ownership, non-league, outsiders, play-offs, promotion, relegation, sports washing, stories, ultras, unbeaten runs, underdogs, winning streaks
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