The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast
By Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
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Image by Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
Category: Soccer
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Rate for this podcast
Subscribers: 132
Reviews: 3
Episodes: 101
Paul
Apr 9, 2025
Z
Jan 28, 2024
A truly excellent podcast
Chairboy Dave
Aug 5, 2023
Great listen. Covering smaller euro leagues.
Description
The Sweeper is a world football podcast telling fascinating stories from the global game – from the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure and overlooked competitions on earth.
Hosted by Lee Wingate and Paul Watson, the show covers all 211 FIFA nations and beyond, touching on geopolitics, geography, politics, history, culture, travel and identity.
Join us for an ample supply of chaos, cross-border clubs, underdogs, ultras, away days, players with unusual day jobs and football in places you didn’t know had teams!
🎧 Weekly episodes
⭐ 5-star rated
🌍 Listeners in 180 countries
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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Eritrea’s dictatorship defection dilemma – Plus Poland’s Belarusian team and Russia’s war critic in Cyprus
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Mar 24, 2026 |
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Iran's possible World Cup withdrawal – Plus the Barca fan at the wrong St. James’ Park & Llantwit Major’s wacky cup run
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Mar 17, 2026 |
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Steaua Bucharest’s European Cup dispute – Plus the Italian coach who sacked himself & Germany’s pirate island club
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Mar 10, 2026 |
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Welcome to The Sweeper Podcast
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Mar 09, 2026 |
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North Korea's top-secret football league – Plus Wrexham's Hollywood owners in Colombia & The Sweeper's new shirt
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Mar 03, 2026 |
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Football at the top of the world – Plus a family feud in El Salvador & a Dutch team banned from playing away
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Feb 24, 2026 |
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Brazil’s rainforest rivalry, Myanmar’s unbeatable powerhouse & Bougainville’s push for independence
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Feb 17, 2026 |
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Viktor Orban’s football powerplay, Copa Libertadores expansion & Chinese Super League sanctions
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Feb 10, 2026 |
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Qarabag’s Champions League heroics, Benfica’s goalkeeper goal & Kazakhstan’s Borat arrests
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Feb 03, 2026 |
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The Finnish Cup: Round 0, incredible club names & an unusual trophy twin
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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Luxembourg’s stadium-building president, double Dutch cup trophies & Olympic Charleroi’s total chaos
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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Oceania’s first pro competition, the ex-Bundesliga burger flipper & Mali’s AFCON fetish priest
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Jan 06, 2026 |
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India’s Super League crisis, the utterly mental Polish Ekstraklasa & Christmas Island’s red crabs
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Dec 23, 2025 |
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Quebec's Athletic Bilbao, Guadeloupe's 4-point per win rule & Norway's naked cup winner
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Dec 09, 2025 |
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Curacao & Haiti's World Cup heroics, Thun’s Swiss title tilt & Argentina’s invented champion
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Nov 25, 2025 |
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Coquimbo Unido's treasured title, Mirassol's organic rise & the OFC Pro League soft launch
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Nov 11, 2025 |
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Latvia: The Baltic League grand plan, vanishing champions & a final between friends
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Oct 31, 2025 |
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Sweden’s Mjällby miracle, Lithuania’s warm welcome & Ireland’s marathon helicopter
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Oct 28, 2025 |
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Cape Verde: World Cup qualification, the LinkedIn footballer & donkey deliveries
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Oct 20, 2025 |
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OUR GREENLAND ASSIST, San Marino's "pizza bakers" & Paks' power-plant ultras
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Oct 14, 2025 |
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Slovakia’s belated EURO triumph, Montserrat’s challenge to India & Crotone’s mafia infiltration
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Sep 30, 2025 |
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Austria's football-sized sinkholes, Kosovo’s UEFA challenges & Bolivia's altitude masterclass
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Sep 16, 2025 |
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Kairat's Champions League heroics, Malta's European debutants & the 2026 OFC Pro League line-up
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Sep 02, 2025 |
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Tiny Mjällby's fairytale season, Belgium’s barmy border club & chaos in the Caribbean
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Aug 19, 2025 |
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The Øresund Bridge derby, haircut breaks in Nuuk & Colombia’s calendar footballer
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Aug 05, 2025 |
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Summer break & thank-you note!
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Jul 22, 2025 |
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The birth of Rayo Vaticano, Tromsø’s 'Midnight Match' & China’s AI-robot tournament
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Jul 08, 2025 |
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Greenland’s CONCACAF rejection, Samsunspor’s smurf ultras & Cazorla’s hometown heroics
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Jun 24, 2025 |
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Oceania’s champion dentist, Uzbekistan’s curse breakers & Venezuelan border sh*thousery
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Jun 10, 2025 |
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Croatia’s motorway delivery, Sweden’s fishing village leaders & Al Hilal’s Mauritanian title
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May 27, 2025 |
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Riots and donkeys in Belgium, Arctic Circle ticket trades & Northern Ireland’s burger kings
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May 13, 2025 |
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Avellino's Pope curse, Russia’s fake Zorya Luhansk & Singapore’s Lady Gaga headache
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Apr 29, 2025 |
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Holy water in Benin, Greece’s season ticket dog & Ecuador’s indigenous trailblazers
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Apr 15, 2025 |
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Footballs in international waters, an Alpine groundhop adventure & Uzbek World Cup dreams
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Apr 01, 2025 |
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The trillion-dollar Saudi team, Bosnia’s Serbian champions & Bulgaria's memorable minute's silence
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Mar 18, 2025 |
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Japan’s ultimate bench-warmer, Andorra’s YouTube resurrection & Iceland’s volcano-hit team
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Mar 04, 2025 |
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Romania's reality TV race, Australia's motorway trophy & the Marshall Islands' vanishing kit
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Feb 18, 2025 |
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Ferencváros' ultras in disguise, HamKam 2’s AI coach & Burkina Faso’s bus-funded leaders
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Feb 04, 2025 |
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Ascension Island’s tortoise troubles, Omonia’s fan-paid groceries & Lazio’s live-in falconer
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Jan 21, 2025 |
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Balzers’ Internet fame, the world’s newest league & The Strongest’s Chocolate Party
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Jan 07, 2025 |
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Víkingur’s 13-month season, Vitória’s crazy Kazakh away day & a Career We Go quiz
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Dec 24, 2024 |
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Georgia’s bodyguard cup winners, Danish snowball fights & a smuggled skull in Paraguay
|
Dec 10, 2024 |
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A SAN MARINO PROMOTION, Hispaniola at the Gold Cup & Coupe de France controversy
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Nov 26, 2024 |
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Balkan groundhopping, River Plate’s potent paint & Como’s war on Monza
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Nov 12, 2024 |
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Montenegro’s mass collapse, Sweden’s perfect runners-up & Auckland’s A-League debut
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Oct 29, 2024 |
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Bhutanese monk ultras, a golden era for micro-states & the Southgate of the Solomons
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Oct 15, 2024 |
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Switalian adventures, Welsh routes into Europe & the Vatican on tour
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Oct 01, 2024 |
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Turks & Caicos' 14-year-old goalie, Bolivia's altitude advantage & Argentina's gun-wielding chairman
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Sep 17, 2024 |
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BONUS POD: SAN MARINO WIN A FOOTBALL MATCH!!!
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Sep 05, 2024 |
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Europe for Larne & TNS, Papua NG's breakaway league & Comoros’ wizard-loving boss
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Sep 03, 2024 |
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Noah’s unique European run, Djibouti’s power plant club & St. Kitts' three-legged final
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Aug 20, 2024 |
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A Tongan World Cup dream, Greenland’s Disko Island & Olympic sprinter-footballers
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Aug 06, 2024 |
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A victorious Faroese village, 27th time lucky for La Fiorita & North Korea’s ‘Pariah Derby’
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Jul 23, 2024 |
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Pub team's European win, a mystery island coaching job & a Sweeper-sponsored team
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Jul 16, 2024 |
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Rooftop viewings in Vanuatu, Zivzivadze’s house-turned-hotel & an Eritrean on the move
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Jul 09, 2024 |
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The UEFA qualifier quiz, the Marshall Islands’ debut & a delayed Cold War friendly
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Jul 02, 2024 |
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OFC Nations Cup chaos, Saint Helena rescue missions & Malaga’s 5am airport welcome
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Jun 25, 2024 |
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Kilts and concerts at EURO 2024, a university upset in Japan & an Icelandic village dream
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Jun 18, 2024 |
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The EURO 2024 coffee dealer, San Marino’s water slide away day & North Korea’s secret score
|
Jun 11, 2024 |
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Quirky football stadia, the Corsica Cup & the Turkmen team that always wins
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May 28, 2024 |
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Campsites in Luxembourg, proposals in Albania & free sausages in Finland
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May 21, 2024 |
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An expedition in Kyrgyzstan, Romania’s twin identity saga & Sweden’s toilet goal
|
May 14, 2024 |
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Spain’s tiniest football town, North Sea pizza planes & a Dutch double invasion
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May 07, 2024 |
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The Valletta funeral parade, Al Ahly’s unique feat & dark arts in Chechnya
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Apr 30, 2024 |
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Algerian airport anger, a 560km voyage to Mauritius & a Transylvanian cup run
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Apr 23, 2024 |
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The fabulous Fenix Trophy, Nordic nonsense & Liechtenstein’s quirky cup
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Apr 16, 2024 |
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Copa Chile charm, Peruvian player names & a transfer to Tanzania
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Apr 09, 2024 |
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North Korean no-show, Georgian jubilation & glorious groundhopping
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Apr 02, 2024 |
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San Marino’s 20 years of hurt, Austria’s six-second goal & Burrito Brava joy
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Mar 26, 2024 |
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The 'Virgin Derby', Basque aspirations & a record return in Romania
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Mar 19, 2024 |
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The American (Samoan) Dream, a Scilly showdown & Swedish kayak smugglers
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Mar 12, 2024 |
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Tifos & ultras in Prague, Croatian VAR controversy & Argentina's park derby
|
Mar 05, 2024 |
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Dating app dismissals, CONIFA anthem anxiety & a Sunday service with the Queen
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Feb 27, 2024 |
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San Marino setbacks, the new FIFA Series & a Football Manager nerd in Iceland
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Feb 20, 2024 |
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High-speed car chases, Anguillan adventures & a German giant in decline
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Feb 06, 2024 |
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Derby day in Madeira, AFCON’s unlikely heroes and a crisis in Cambodia
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Jan 23, 2024 |
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Azeri cakes & coaches, football’s final frontier in the Pacific & the Livonian League
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Jan 09, 2024 |
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Robinhood’s Caribbean double, Pontypridd’s 141-point deduction & a Herculean effort against Ajax
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Dec 26, 2023 |
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The Belgian Cup arcade claw draw, Turkmenistan’s debutant champions & the Botafogo bottle job in Brazil
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Dec 12, 2023 |
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The magic of the Coupe de France, Colo Colo’s trip to Easter Island & Spain's Mascot Olympics
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Nov 28, 2023 |
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Frantic season finales in Scandinavia, the Te Runga Games in Kiribati & the sad story of Raphael Dwamena
|
Nov 14, 2023 |
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The KÍ Klaksvík miracle with Daniel Storey, our visit to the Czech team that lost 9-5 & a perfect season in Tonga
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Oct 31, 2023 |
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A GOAL FOR SAN MARINO, Thailand’s trip to McDonald's & a YMCA-inspired fairytale in Norway
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Oct 17, 2023 |
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An alternative World Cup for FIFA's worst 32 nations, Mozart bashing the Red Bulls with a violin & the enclave derby in Spanish North Africa
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Oct 03, 2023 |
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The Antarctic micronation with a football team, island time in the Coupe de France & the Costa Rican mascot race
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Sep 20, 2023 |
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The Indonesian team travelling in a tank, the offside rule loophole discovered in Sweden & the Austrian club president handing out cash
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Sep 06, 2023 |
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The Greenlandic Football Championship, Raków's remarkable rise & the Latvian refs breathalysed by police
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Aug 23, 2023 |
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Fairytale summer for the Faroes, father v. son battles in the Champions League & a reindeer hunt in Greenland
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Aug 09, 2023 |
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Micronesia's first-ever futsal tournament, KÍ Klaksvík's Champions League heroics & the contested fate of two Crimean clubs
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Jul 26, 2023 |
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The Island Games in Guernsey, Arctic Circle dominance in Norway & the European qualifying rounds
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Jul 12, 2023 |
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San Marino fail to win 130th game in a row, Ildefons Lima sets all-time records & the Children's Hospice win the Vatican treble
|
Jun 28, 2023 |
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Balotelli's haircut twin spoils promotion party, Mongolian player cycles to Old Trafford & Ruch Chorzów complete the ultimate comeback
|
Jun 14, 2023 |
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Cups & cults in Liechtenstein, mistimed bus parades in Luxembourg & colossal away days in Kazakhstan
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May 31, 2023 |
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Match-fixing scandal rocks Belarus, cycling toddler invades pitch in Finland & 49-year-old goalie keeps clean sheet in Faroes
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May 17, 2023 |
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Former pub team win trophy in Gibraltar, Spanish side lose every game for 11 years & Viktor Orbán-back clubs make waves outside Hungary
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May 03, 2023 |
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Croatian coach makes players train at 1am, Welsh team releases dinosaur kit design & Chinese boy breaks ball-juggling world record
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Apr 19, 2023 |
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Alderney's 103-year wait goes on, a university student represents Gibraltar & Northern Irish village club Loughgall pursue promotion
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Apr 05, 2023 |
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Snowball sh*thousery in Norway, strange sideline antics in Italy & a deep dive into Gibraltar
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Mar 15, 2023 |
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Sheriff break ground for Moldova, managerial mayhem at Sion & a scandal in Somalia
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Mar 02, 2023 |
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Kazu Miura playing in Portugal aged 55, prisoners attend game in Romania & a furniture supplier intervenes in Belgium
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Feb 16, 2023 |
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Maccabi Netanya end Israeli trophy drought, a Maltese club president wants to play & the meteoric rise of Cosmos in San Marino
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Feb 01, 2023 |