The English FA Cup is the oldest and most storied domestic football competition in the world. But it is not the most inclusive. The Coupe de France comfortably takes that title.

The tournament not only has 7,000+ participants, but also invites teams from French overseas territories, creating special experiences and mammoth away days for those involved. We have often wondered what the FA Cup would look like if England followed France’s lead.

So on this episode, we’re simulating that very scenario: Which British Overseas Territories have enough people and footballers to take part? Which teams would be invited to play? Where would the ties be held? And how would the guests fare against mainland opposition?

Join us on Patreon for this Monday’s bonus podcast featuring the underdogs and outsiders in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup, the African equivalent of the Europa League. If you enjoyed the recent episode on the CAF Champions League, this one is for you.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:02 – Disclaimers and caveats

01:35 – Overview of British Overseas Territories

03:11 – The ineligible territories

08:12 – The eligible territories & their teams

11:22 – The big theoretical questions

19:45 – Forecasts and predictions

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Football fans have produced some remarkable tifos over the years – but surely none can rival Osnabrück’s moving rollercoaster for their DFB-Pokal tie with Bayern Munich?!

The second-tier German club’s ultras came up with the viral sensation to illustrate what a rollercoaster ride it has recently been to support the club, which has endured three promotions and two relegations since 2019.

But how did they actually put such an elaborate choreography together? Did it make a difference in their cup clash against Germany’s record champions? And where does it sit among the pantheon of the greatest football tifos?

Plus, Turkish team Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year nightmare is over and Lee visits an Austrian stadium built on the rooftop of a furniture store. A goalkeeper finds the net not just once but twice in the Netherlands. And Kyrgyzstan’s spectacular yurt-themed stadium has opened in style with the World Nomad Games, a goat carcass, and an unlikely singing guest.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – Osnabrück’s rollercoaster tifo

05:28 – Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year transfer ban

10:55 – Goalkeeper bags a brace in the Netherlands

13:40 – Blau-Weiß Linz’s furniture store stadium

16:58 – Kyrgyzstan’s yurt stadium opening

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There are plenty of tough places to go for a CAF Champions League away game this season. But few can rival the harsh climes of the desert, where Algerian club JS Saoura are from.

The Eagles, who are based in Béchar – a city often referred to as “the gateway to the Sahara”, finished as runners-up in the Ligue Professionelle 1 last season and sealed their spot in the qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League.

So how did a club from this Saharan outpost ascend to Algeria’s top table in record time? Just how difficult is it for their domestic rivals who travel 3,000 kilometres to the desert? And what are their chances against Horoya of Guinea in the first round?

Plus, Mauritian upstarts La Cure Waves prepare for their first game on the African mainland, Lesotho’s Lijabatho FC come up with a curious funeral scheme for their fans and Burkinabe club Rahimo FC’s bus company business model proves a hit.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:17 – JS Saoura: The gateway to the desert

04:31 – La Cure Waves: The holiday island upstarts

09:40 – The countries not in the Champions League

13:35 – Patreon plug for Monday’s episode

14:58 – Lijabatho FC: The funeral schemers

18:35 – Rahimo FC: The wholesome bus boys

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There are some simply sensational stories to be told about the 108 league phase participants in the three UEFA club competitions this season.

For example, it’s not every day that a ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ contestant uses their winnings to become a football manager in England, starts out in the ninth tier and eventually guides a nine-year-old Azerbaijani club into the UEFA Champions League!

So how much did Lithuanian tactician Valdas Dambrauskas win to kickstart his managerial career? How has he taken Sabah to a first league title and the pinnacle of European club football in just one year? And why do the club from Maksimir play in pink?

Plus, second-tier Portuguese side Torreense prepare for a Europa League campaign in cyclone-hit Leiria, Inter Club d’Escaldes achieve an historic milestone for Andorra and Greek islanders OFI Crete complete a remarkable rebound from administration.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Thursday’s round-up of all the best domestic cup stories across Europe – including the Slovak tie between two clubs with the same president – plus a preview of the returning Palestinian league.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – Sabah: The quiz show contestant

12:23 – Inter d’Escaldes: The micro-state trailblazers

21:43 – Torreense: The second-tier cup winners

26:40 – Jagiellonia Białystok: The winning Wi-Fi password

29:39 – OFI Crete: The revived islanders

33:45 – Yaya Touré, Viking, Hearts: The best of the rest

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There’s totally dominating a league – and then there’s Johor Darul Ta’zim! The Malaysians have won the last 12 Super Leagues, the joint-longest active title-winning run in world football.

But JDT are currently in the limelight for a different reason: they have set a new record for the longest league unbeaten streak in football history at 109 games, surpassing the run of Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas between 1989 and 1994.

So how did they become such an all-conquering force? Why have they drawn scrutiny and criticism for their methods? And are they the world's most dominant team at national level?

Plus, Krieschow (with 560 inhabitants) becomes the smallest village to ever host a match in Germany’s DFB-Pokal, and UEFA reportedly talk to CONCACAF about joining forces on a new Nations League as the backlash against FIFA continues.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a Korean student’s real-life game of Football Manager in Malawi, a former tennis star playing in Austria’s lower leagues and an Albanian club owner literally throwing the cash around.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:50 – JDT’s 109 games unbeaten

04:40 – Royal rescue and scrutiny

09:43 – Domestic records worldwide

13:12 – Performance at AFC level

18:22 – The DFB-Pokal’s smallest village

26:10 – The UECACAF Nations League

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Mexico broke ranks with the rest of CONCACAF over Gianni Infantino’s botched plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup. Now there are reports the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has hatched a secret deal with the FIFA President to help them join CONMEBOL.

The FMF has a long history in South American football. El Tri have played in the Copa America as guests 11 times, while its clubs have featured in the Copa Libertadores – even reaching the final three times. But a confederation switch would be another matter entirely.

So why would the FMF want to join South America’s governing body? What would be the pros and cons of leaving CONCACAF and moving down south? And which countries have set a precedent by trading one confederation for another in the past?

Plus, Malawi’s women make history by reaching the AFCON final – despite being the lowest-ranked country in the entire competition. And Ireland prepares for the launch of its brand-new third division: the FAI National League.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a full report from the Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg, where Somali referee Omar Artan became the first non-European to take charge of a major UEFA final.

Ali Howorth's excellent article about Malawi's women's team: 'Two clubs, two sisters and a condom company: how Malawi emerged from obscurity to the verge of the World Cup' is on his Substack here.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:50 – Mexico’s CONMEBOL switch rumours

03:37 – Past involvement in South America

05:30 – Pros & cons of confederation move

13:25 – Precedents for a continental switch

17:04 – Countries in a different geographic confederation

22:21 – Outsider Malawi’s historic WAFCON run

27:09 – Ireland’s brand-new third division

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The Coupe de France is the most international national cup competition in the world, with overseas territories located in every continent bar Asia taking part. The first to enter each year is always the team from Saint Pierre and Miquelon, in round 3.

And this season, the tiny archipelago off the coast of Canada’s Newfoundland will have a representative from the less populous island of Miquelon for the very first time, after AS Miquelonnaise won the local qualifying tournament.

But how does qualification work when there are only three teams in the archipelago? Why does Saint Pierre & Miquelon’s representative always start earlier than other overseas territories? And could a North American team theoretically play in the Europa League?

Plus, more withdrawals than usual from the week-long national championship forces Greenland into a strategic re-think. And Caito Teixeira, the president of Guinea-Bissau’s FA, breaches his bail conditions and goes on the run!

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a bonus episode this Thursday all about the 2026 OFC Champions League and how the most remote places on the planet watch football.

Sweeper listeners get 10% off at Golaço Kits by using the code SWEEPER10 at checkout and if you join us on Patreon, you will get 15% off!

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:48 – Football in Saint Pierre & Miquelon

04:00 – Miquelon’s Coupe de France debut

08:26 – Subarctic temperatures & a short season

10:32 – North America in the Europa League?

16:59 – Greenland’s chaotic championship

26:50 – Guinea-Bissau’s presidential escape

31:05 – Golaço Kits competition

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Football never stops. Only nine days after the World Cup final, the news was leaked that FIFA were looking to sell a stake in the tournament, sparking a furious backlash across the globe.

UEFA responded by threatening to boycott FIFA competitions, with CONCACAF and AFC subsequently releasing statements condemning the proposal, which would have seen all 211 member associations receive $40 million each.

It’s easier to understand why the big guns resisted, but the money could have transformed the smaller nations, so why have so many of them declined the offer? And which tiny island’s FA condemned the plan despite being run by...FIFA-appointed officials?

Plus, Montenegro’s four clubs are all eliminated from UEFA club competition qualifying with a perfectly awful record of 10 games and 10 defeats. We examine why they fared so badly. Plus a Colombian giant is knocked out of the cup...by their own reserves!

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a bonus episode this Thursday all about the death and resurrection of former Portuguese champions Boavista.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:46 – FIFA’s collapsing house of cards

01:56 – Montserrat

08:15 – Guadeloupe

11:52 – Nepal

14:30 – Comoros

21:10 – Montenegro’s continental calamity

29:36 – Colombia’s cold-blood reserves

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The 2026 World Cup continues to produce breathtaking matches – arguably none more so than debutants Cape Verde versus world champions Argentina.

With players who once worked as electricians and mortgage advisors, Cape Verde pushed Lionel Messi & Co. to extra time in the round of 32, serving up one of the most memorable knockout ties in World Cup history. And one of the all-time great goals, scored by Sydny Lopes Cabral, who was playing in the German fifth tier not long ago and was so poor that he was hanging up binbags as makeshift curtains.

But how does the game compare to other World Cup classics in the modern era? And what will Cape Verde’s fairytale run do for tourism in the country?

Another outsider surpassing expectations is Paraguay, who eliminated four-time world champions Germany. Goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who was facing his idol Manuel Neuer, boasts one of the best rags to riches stories at the tournament.

Plus: Viral Kiwi Tim Payne completes a transfer to Olimpia in South America and an England fan sparks an international manhunt.

Sign up to The Sweeper’s Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/SweeperPod

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:53 – Cape Verde v. Argentina

05:50 – From zeroes to heroes

19:00 – A World Cup tourism boost

23:06 – Paraguay’s dark arts

25:17 – Orlando Gill’s amazing story

26:55 – Tim Payne’s Olimpia move

29:48 – An England fan manhunt

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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.

Sign up to The Sweeper's Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/SweeperPod

Follow Joey D'Urso on Instagram here:

https://www.instagram.com/joey.durso/

And Joey D'Urso's Substack is here:

https://joeydurso.substack.com/

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

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