The Sweeper

In Part 1, Lee and Paul preview the inaugural OFC Pro League – the first fully professional football competition in Oceania’s history – which kicks off in New Zealand on Saturday 17 January. What matches will take place in the first circuit series in Auckland – and where can you watch them? Which team will have to travel the furthest and cross the International Date Line for their fixtures? Who are the standout players to watch out for? And what does the new tournament mean for the future of the OFC Champions League?In Part 2, there are stories from Europe, Africa and Asia. In Germany, a former Bundesliga coach is managing two McDonald’s restaurants – but what other unusual careers have footballers had after hanging up their boots? At AFCON, Mali have turned to a fetish priest to tip fate in their favour for their game against Tunisia. What on earth is one of those, we hear you ask?! And finally, Japan prepares for its transition to an autumn-spring league. But which J-League club have been royally screwed over by the switch?
Chapters
00:00 – Intro
04:11 – OFC Pro League: Format & fixtures
08:58 – OFC Pro League: Distances & date lines
13:24 – OFC Pro League: Intriguing individuals
23:23 – OFC Pro League: Concurrent competitions
27:54 – The German ex-coach working at McDonald's
31:32 – Strangest former footballer careers
38:53 – Mali's fetish priest & Gabon's letter
46:03 – Japan's schedule switch & Fukushima United

In Part 1, Lee and Paul are joined by Asia correspondent John Duerden to cast a look at some huge stories across the continent – in India, Malaysia and South Korea. What on earth happened on Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of Kolkata? And why is the world’s largest country still without a top-flight league months after the season should have gotten under way? What has the fallout been from Malaysia’s attempt to illegally naturalise seven players? And why did Gus Poyet resign in protest after winning the double with Jeonbuk in South Korea?
In Part 2, Africa correspondent Ali Howorth drops in before flying to Morocco to give us the lowdown on AFCON 2025 and help us decide which team to support at the tournament. Then it’s over to Europe to put the Ekstraklasa under the microscope. But what unique situation that we have never seen before has occurred in Poland’s top flight? And finally, to mark the festive season, there is a mention for Christmas Island – an Australian overseas territory that is known for its red crabs and its football rivalry with the nearby Cocos Islands.
World Soccer magazine special offer: shop.kelsey.co.uk/sweeperxmas25
John Duerden’s Substack newsletter: https://howfootballexplainsasia.substack.com
Ali Howarth’s AFCON flow chart: https://x.com/ahoworth97/status/2001293214012014953
Chapters
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – India’s Super League crisis
08:56 – Other leagues in limbo worldwide
11:29 – Malaysia’s naturalisation scandal
21:47 – Gus Poyet’s Jeonbuk departure
27:17 – AFCON 2025 in Morocco
39:55 – The crazy Polish Ekstraklasa
44:25 – Mayhem & chaos across UEFA
48:00 – Christmas Island and red crabs
53:45 – On The Spot - The Apertura crown

In Part 1, Lee and Paul take a deep dive into Canadian football, including the national team's World Cup draw, Vancouver Whitecaps' incredible campaign and the changes to the line-up in the Canadian Premier League. Do Canada have a chance against Qatar, Switzerland – and probably Italy? Will the Vancouver Whitecaps be able to stay in Vancouver? How on earth did the Canadian Premier League's bottom club qualify for the top continental competition? And who are FC Supra du Quebec, the new club joining the division in 2026?

In Part 2, it's the usual array of stories from across the world. Several French overseas territories award four points for a win – but what other location-specific football rules exist around the world? Lee tests Paul in a quiz! Over in Norway, a season of surprises continues as Viking claim the Eliteserien and second-tier Lillestrøm win the Norwegian Cup. We hear from Viking's No.1 overseas fan Babsi! And finally, the 2026 World Cup group stage draw is now done and dusted. Which debutant has the best chance of going through?

Copa 90 documentary on Vancouver Whitecaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Hnk37Lwo8

Weird and wacky football rules: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_tournament_ranking_system#Association_football

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:47 – Canada's World Cup prospects
02:38 – The Vancouver Whitecaps story
07:24 – Relocation fears
11:35 – Vancouver FC's Champions Cup qualification
15:33 – The newcomers: FC Supra du Québec
17:50 – The departure: Valour FC
19:43 – The rebrand: Inter Toronto
24:33 – Four points per win in the Caribbean
28:15 – Bizarre football rules quiz
36:30 – Norway's season of surprises
48:14 – Debutant World Cup groups
50:38 – On The Spot

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