Bodø/Glimt continued their sensational debut UEFA Champions League campaign by beating Italian giants Inter in the Arctic Circle – after 80 tons of snow had first been cleared from their pitch, of course.

But did you know Norway is home to an even snowier pitch, 1,000km further north at the very top of the world, in a place where seeds are stored for the event of an apocalypse and people carry rifles to the supermarket to stave off polar bear attacks?

So who used to play here, on this northernmost 11-a-side pitch in the world? Why did it all change after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? And why do so many Liverpool fans live in this Arctic wilderness?

Next, we hop over to Central America, where a family feud is ruining birthdays and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. So what scenario is unfolding here that is happening nowhere else in the world?

Finally, there’s a club in a local amateur league whose players are forced to play every match at home. Why are they banned from ever playing away? And which former professional footballer is employed to guard them?

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:34 – Bodø/Glimt's UCL magic

04:51 – Football at the top of the world

07:59 – Four fun facts about Svalbard

12:27 – El Salvador's family feud

16:02 – Family coaching battles

20:03 – Poland's Nazi-defying club

22:51 – Hashtag United's cup clash

26:06 – Jonker Boys' unusual restriction

Around The World in 80 Clubs: ⁠https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

The most-played match in world football has been contested nearly 1,000 times – yet most fans have never heard of it.

Join us on a journey to a tropical corner of the planet as we uncover a rivalry first played in 1914… and still being contested today.

Who are the two teams involved? Why have they faced each other so often – an average of seven times a year for over a century? And what could finally slow this extraordinary fixture down in 2026?

Next, we explore the remarkable story of a top-flight club who have not lost a league game since before the pandemic. How have they stayed unbeaten for so long – and why, despite that run, are they still not the most dominant team in world football?

Finally, we turn to the international game and the national team hoping to represent what could become the world’s newest country in 2027. But if independence comes, will they be welcomed into the global football family – or left waiting on the sidelines?

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:14 – The world’s most-played fixture

11:21 – Other contenders for the title

14:45 – The longest unbeaten run in history

22:00 – Around The World in 80 Clubs

25:30 – The world’s newest national team?

Bougainville – A New Country: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/126735-000-A/arte-reportage/

Around The World in 80 Clubs: https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

A sleepy town of 22,000 people in southern Slovakia is home to a top-flight football club that is challenging for national titles and boasts an ultra-modern, sleek stadium that is entirely out of step with its surroundings – thanks to money from abroad.

We paid a visit to Dunajská Streda to watch local team DAC 1904 play domestic giants Slovan Bratislava in a top-of-the table clash in Slovakia. But this was no ordinary game. It was the most politically charged football match we’ve ever seen.

The reason for that lies far beyond the football pitch. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is funding clubs in neighbouring countries as part of a broader political strategy – one that may help him win re-election in April and shape the balance of power in the EU.

Elsewhere, the Copa Libertadores is reportedly preparing to invite guest clubs from Mexico and the US to participate in the competition starting in 2027, while Chinese football has hit a new low after nine of the Super League’s 16 clubs were deducted points.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:49 - Live game: DAC 1904 v Slovan Bratislava

14:32 - Viktor Orbán's political power play

21:18 - Copa Libertadores guest invitations

23:04 - Analysis from Jon Arnold

25:59 - China's Super League low point

27:21 - Analysis from John Duerden

Sources for the lead story

Atlatszo: https://english.atlatszo.hu/2018/12/11/the-orban-government-spent-billions-on-hungarian-football-clubs-in-serbia-romania-and-slovakia

Balkan Insight: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/07/08/hungary-and-croatia-build-stadium-for-e7-5-million-in-village-of-500-inhabitants

Denník: https://dennikn.sk/1380564/bolo-to-ako-vojna-bitka-policajtov-s-fanusikmi-dunajskej-stredy-po-ktorej-sa-zmenil-zakon/

Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-orban-sport-influence-romania/31977287.html

Salzburger Nachrichten:https://www.sn.at/sport/fussball/international/dac-dunajska-streda-orbans-aushaengeschild-in-der-slowakei-art-371392