The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

World Cup 2026: Cape Verde’s tourism boost, Paraguay’s rags to riches keeper & an England fan manhunt

July 7, 2026·34 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

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/SweeperPodChapters:00:00 – Intro00:53 – Cape Verde v. Argentina05:50 – From zeroes to heroes19:00 – A World Cup tourism boost23:06 – Paraguay’s dark arts25:17 – Orlando Gill’s amazing story26:55 – Tim Payne’s Olimpia move29:48 – An England fan manhunt

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