About this episode

The episode explores FC Thun's remarkable season in the Swiss Super League and the local culture surrounding the club.

A newly-promoted club are on the verge of the impossible. If tiny FC Thun can get just a few more points on the board, they will win the Swiss Super League and claim the first major trophy in their 128-year history. But what do the locals make of it all? Why is Thun the perfect place for such a fairytale? And how did a literal sauna force a high-stakes clash with Basel to be called off? We headed to the Alps to meet the fans and find out the answers. Join us in Thun for Europe’s most extraordinary club football story of 2026. Sign up to Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod to enter the FC Vaduz giveaway. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:35 – A quick history of FC Thun 04:45 – The fire at St. Jakob Park 11:20 – Other bizarre postponements 16:46 – Groundhopping with the Thun Army 22:16 – A tour of the Stockhorn Arena 28:10 – The stunning beauty of Thun 33:15 – A quick stop-off at FC Vaduz

People in this episode

Hosts: Lee Wingate, Paul Watson

Topics covered

• FC Thun
• Swiss Super League
• football history
• local fan culture
• bizarre postponements
• club football story

Keywords

• FC Thun
• Swiss Super League
• football
• fans
• postponements
• Thun
• Basel
• Alps
• club history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FC Thun, Swiss Super League, FC Vaduz

Places: Thun, Basel, Alps

More episodes of The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

• Shakhtar Donetsk's imposter club – Plus Heidelberg’s Asian aspirations & Montserrat’s Facebook coach ad · April 21, 2026 · 35 min
• Bosnia’s poker player at the World Cup – Plus Ceuta coach’s Rome pledge & Nauru’s 1 child 1 ball initiative · April 7, 2026 · 38 min
• Liechtenstein: Europe’s strangest national team – Plus Germany’s drug dealer striker & Italy’s coach turned priest · March 31, 2026 · 34 min
• Eritrea’s dictatorship defection dilemma – Plus Poland’s Belarusian team and Russia’s war critic in Cyprus · March 24, 2026 · 29 min
• Iran's possible World Cup withdrawal – Plus the Barca fan at the wrong St. James’ Park & Llantwit Major’s wacky cup run · March 17, 2026 · 32 min
• Steaua Bucharest’s European Cup dispute – Plus the Italian coach who sacked himself & Germany’s pirate island club · March 10, 2026 · 34 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast podcast page.