Rephonic
Artwork for The Sweeper
San Marino
Coupe De France
Colo Colo
Virgin Derby
Basque Country
Malmo
Elfsborg
Kroki Cup
Football
Livonian League
Africa Cup Of Nations
Madeira Derby
Prague Derby
St. Kitts and Nevis
Te Runga Games
Hammaby
Botafogo
Nacional
Marítimo
FIFA Series

Welcome to The Sweeper Podcast, the unique world football show covering all 211 FIFA countries and beyond. Join Lee Wingate and Paul Watson for the best headlines from across the football world, and news, stories, insight and interviews you won't find elsewhere.

Whether you're into underdogs and upsets, ultras and fan culture, groundhopping and travel, derbies and rivalries, geography and geopolit... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes94Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
SportsSoccer

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Artwork for The Sweeper

Latest Episodes

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 Qat... more

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 F... more

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 ... more

In Part 1, Lee sits down with Virslīga President Maksims Krivunecs in Riga for an inside look at the Latvian football landscape. What is Latvia’s unique claim to fame within the 55 UEFA countries? Why have five of the country’s nine different champio... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Jon Arnold
Expert on North and Central American football
Episode: Curacao & Haiti's World Cup heroics, Thun’s Swiss title tilt & Argentina’s invented champion
Nathan Joyes
Football commentator and host of Copa Club Podcast
Copa Club Podcast
Episode: Coquimbo Unido's treasured title, Mirassol's organic rise & the OFC Pro League soft launch
Maksims Krivunecs
President of the Vers Liga, Latvia's higher football league
Vers Liga
Episode: Latvia: The Baltic League grand plan, vanishing champions & a final between friends
Titas Teiten
Football journalist from Baltic Football News
Baltic Football News
Episode: Sweden’s Mjällby miracle, Lithuania’s warm welcome & Ireland’s marathon helicopter
Ali Howorth
African football expert
Cabo Verde National Team
Episode: Cape Verde: World Cup qualification, the LinkedIn footballer & donkey deliveries
Matej Mutiš
Co-host of Futbaloviva and winner of the 2024 Slovak Sports Podcast of the Year Award
Episode: Slovakia’s belated EURO triumph, Montserrat’s challenge to India & Crotone’s mafia infiltration
John MacAllister
Travel YouTuber currently in Kazakhstan
Episode: Kairat's Champions League heroics, Malta's European debutants & the 2026 OFC Pro League line-up
Nick Miller
Writer for The Athletic and The New York Times
The Athletic, The New York Times
Episode: Greenland’s CONCACAF rejection, Samsunspor’s smurf ultras & Cazorla’s hometown heroics
James Montague
Football journalist and author
Episode: The trillion-dollar Saudi team, Bosnia’s Serbian champions & Bulgaria's memorable minute's silence

Hosts

Lee Wingate
Co-host with extensive experience covering football issues, particularly those related to underdog stories and global events in soccer.
Paul Watson
Co-host known for insightful commentary on football culture and narrative, with a focus on engaging stories from the game.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 1k ratings
  • The best

    Simply: This is the best podcast. Lee and Paul are amazing.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Ttttttttttttttttttttttttuuu
    United States3 months ago
  • Tainted

    I love nearly everything about this podcast, however they’ve gone to some lengths to clarify they want to separate football from politics, primarily so they can take no position on the genocide in Israel - more galling was having a listener come onto the show & refer to same genocide as ‘political unrest.’ Keeping politics out of their reporting seems to be less important when talking about an ‘Evil World Cup’ of supposed baddie countries.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    lynchboy
    Ireland9 months ago
  • This would be five stars, but

    I love hearing about all the football stories from around the world, with clubs I didn’t previously know existed. Lee and Paul clearly find such joy in niche and underdog stories, and it’s a genuine pleasure to listen to. The show, however, has slowly begun devoting more time to FIFAPlus infomercials , and that’s both obnoxious and questionable. Come for the great football stories, but be prepared to skip several minutes per episode if you don’t want the marketing nonsense.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Corvidcatmom
    United States9 months ago
  • Great football podcast for stories you’d never heard anywhere else

    If you’re interested in football stories that aren’t going to make it onto any of your other podcasts, this is the place!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nolan921
    United States9 months ago
  • Always great

    These guys are fun to listen to. Great chemistry and fascinating stories. Highly recommended!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BigJuice123
    Canada9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Reviews commend the depth of research and originality in storytelling that makes the podcast a standout in sports media.
Some criticize a perceived increase in marketing content over show quality, though many appreciate the unique angle on football topics.
Reactions highlight the hosts' engaging chemistry and their ability to illuminate underdog narratives that don't typically receive media coverage.
Listeners praise the informative and entertaining content that covers less prominent football stories from around the globe.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#98
United States/Sports/Soccer
Apple Podcasts
#29
Canada/Sports/Soccer
Apple Podcasts
#82
United Kingdom/Sports/Soccer
Apple Podcasts
#212
United Kingdom/Sports
Apple Podcasts
#46
Australia/Sports/Soccer
Apple Podcasts
#180
Italy/Sports/Soccer

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Latvia: The Baltic League grand plan, vanishing champions & a final between friends
Q: What challenges come with trying to grow the profile of Latvian football?
Krivunecs mentions financial resources as a key challenge, primarily due to limited domestic TV rights and market size.
Latvia: The Baltic League grand plan, vanishing champions & a final between friends
Q: Can you sell the Vers Liga to our international audience? What makes Latvian football special?
Maksims Krivunecs discusses the appeal of the league, highlighting its youth and the diversity of clubs, while acknowledging it primarily caters to a local audience.
OUR GREENLAND ASSIST, San Marino's "pizza bakers" & Paks' power-plant ultras
Q: What did you say to your players after this game?
The San Marino coach indicated that they look to gain lessons from such games for better fixtures in the future.
Cape Verde: World Cup qualification, the LinkedIn footballer & donkey deliveries
Q: What were the logistical challenges faced by the Cape Verde national team?
The team has to manage extensive travel logistics to bring players from around the world, often training in Portugal before matches.
Cape Verde: World Cup qualification, the LinkedIn footballer & donkey deliveries
Q: What was the reaction in Cape Verde after the qualification for the World Cup?
The mood was celebratory yet low-key, as many were hungover after parties that lasted through the night.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Sweeper

What is The Sweeper about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The podcast explores the diverse and less-covered facets of the global football landscape, featuring stories from all 211 FIFA countries. Hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson provide insights into underdog teams, unique fan cultures, and geopolitical influences on the sport, offering listeners narratives and interviews that stray from mainstream media's focus on big-money clubs. This podcast stands out by celebrating the passion and complexity of football, often highlighting intriguing tales of triumph and adversity in smaller leagues and nations that might not typically receive attention in traditional sports media.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Sweeper?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Sweeper. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Sweeper and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Sweeper get?

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What are the audience demographics for The Sweeper?

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How many subscribers and views does The Sweeper have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Sweeper has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Sweeper?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Sweeper:

1. Football Cliches
2. On The Continent - A European Football Podcast
3. The Totally Football Show with James Richardson
4. Football Weekly
5. The Price of Football

How many episodes of The Sweeper are there?

The Sweeper launched 5 years ago and published 94 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Sweeper?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Sweeper?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Sweeper from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Sweeper?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Sweeper. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Sweeper?

Recent guests on The Sweeper include:

1. Jon Arnold
2. Nathan Joyes
3. Maksims Krivunecs
4. Titas Teiten
5. Ali Howorth
6. Matej Mutiš
7. John MacAllister
8. Nick Miller

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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