The best football podcasts

Every man and his dog has his podcast. It’s the modern media phenomenon.

Football podcasts are not built the same, but it doesn’t take a genius to separate the unlistenable from the majestic.

Here’s a list of the best football podcasts on the market right now.

The Totally Football Show

There are several strong contenders, but it seems like The Totally Football Show has emerged as the flagship football podcast.

You might remember host James Richardson from Channel 4’s Football Italia in the 90s and, while he doesn’t boast the knowledge of his expert guests, Richardson uses his dry humour in abundance to great effect to help ensure each show flows seamlessly.

The show rotates between a long list of journalists and writers who join Richardson in the studio each week, but Totally’s crowning achievement is undoubtedly their Tuesday Euro show where Italian, French, Spanish and German football experts collide to create a truly brilliant product.

The Rest is Football

The immensely popular ‘Rest is…’ network has been further bolstered by the arrival of dream trio Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

The dynamic between the three former footballers is great, with host Lineker quick to dip into a fascinating anecdote or two every episode. Summaries of the latest action are supplied, as well as weekly question-and-answer episodes which spark laughs and offer great insight into their respective careers.

Virgil van Dijk, Paul Gascoigne, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas are among the past and present stars to make guest appearances.

Football Ramble

The Football Ramble is more than just a podcast. It’s an institution.

These guys have been doing their thing since 2007! Did they even have microphones back then? Was there access to the internet? You reckon a dreary and drab podcast would’ve lasted 17 years (and counting!)?

The Ramblers have topped the football podcast charts for many years, with the casual nature of the hosts’ conversations making you feel as if you’re right there in the studio.

Soccer A-Z

Look, we’re not going to get vintage Soccer AM back on our screens anytime soon, but Soccer A-Z may well be the next best thing. This all-new podcast has seen those key to the early success of the hit show reunite over the mic.

Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain are back hosting alongside Tubes and Robbie Knox. As the title of the pod denotes, the content of each episode will be determined by a letter of the alphabet but Question & Quiz shows have also been filtered in.

Refreshed, reenergised and brilliant.

Football Cliches

The aforementioned saturation of the football podcast industry means it does take something special to stand out and blossom into an unmitigated success.

Football Cliches isn’t hosted by household names, but the quality of the content produced by elite podcastmen has seen this show ascend into the pantheon of great sports podcasts. Adam Hurrey is a genius on the mic, with his breakdown of overused and erroneously used jargon supplying great entertainment.

A truly innovative podcast.

Look, there are only so many stories about the culture Sir Alex Ferguson instilled at Manchester United one can take, but the Stick to Football pod is undeniably excellent.

Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville work together wonderfully well and Roy Keane offers plenty beside soundbites. Ian Wright really brings the best out of him, while Jill Scott can offer respite from incessant United chat.

Esteemed guests arrive weekly but, be warned, they’ve probably got a few stories about Fergie.

Football Weekly

A level-headed podcast bereft of sensationalism, The Guardian’s Football Weekly is superbly hosted by Max Rushden as he and a number of guests breakdown the latest musings in the footballing sphere.

Jonathan Wilson’s appearances are always welcomed, with Rushden’s spritely enthusiasm counter-acting the more cynical and grumpy tone of Barry Glendenning.

The Official Fantasy Premier League Podcast

One for the FPL lovers.

Hosts Kelly Somers, Julien Laurens and Sam Bonfield dig into the fantasy realm ahead and after every gameweek, discussing the must-haves and the players potentially on the chopping block.

They don’t claim to be experts, which ensures each episode is more relatable and light-hearted for the average FPL manager.

Quickly Kevin; Will He Score?

One for nostalgia merchants here as comedian Josh Widdicombe plunges into the world that he truly adores: 90s football. There’s some drifting into the noughties, too, but the lively 90s is where this podcast attempts to remain.

The show has produced 14 series since its 2017 inception and featured some of the very best 90s footballers such as World Cup-winner Andreas Brehme and Matt Le Tissier. Some of the early episodes are particularly brilliant for anyone who requires a huge dollop of classic 90s nostalgia daily.

The 2 Robbies

Hosted by former Premier League Robbies, Earle and Mustoe, this podcast, given its American influence, focuses not only on the Premier League’s leading storylines, but the happenings in MLS, too.

The NBC pundits have great chemistry and a brilliant working relationship which makes for an easy listen, but the pair also supply top-class punditry on a range of stories.

The Gab & Juls Show

Julien Laurens is a serial podcaster and he’s bloody good on the microphone, so it’s no surprise his own podcast, which he hosts with journalist and author Gabriele Marcotti, has also been a huge success.

These are two guys who know their stuff.

The Athletic Football Podcast

There’s nothing spectacular here, but The Athletic’s leading podcast is an incredibly handy tool for keeping up to date with all the ongoings in the footballing world. The show is brief and out four times a week, but all the detail is there.

Football Daily

The BBC do things proper and their Football Daily podcast is clean-cut, slick and professional.

Each 40-minute (ish) show dives in to the latest news around the footballing world, with the Monday Night Club doing a great job of dissecting the weekend’s action in impressive depth but also with a light-hearted edge. Expert guests feature regularly and you can gain plenty of insight from current and former pros.

That Peter Crouch Podcast

Some might argue that this isn’t the podcast it once was, but Peter Crouch still provides tremendous value. It’s well worth your time, even if the volume of ads will drive you mad.

Steve Sidwell seems like a lovely bloke and Chris Stark always pops in with a gag or two each episode while ensuring the flow and structure of each show is retained.

The Socially Distant Sports Bar

This award-winning pod suggests you really don’t need to like sport to love this show. Thus, The Socially Distant Sports Bar caters to a wider audience than most we’ve listed and its unique format makes for captivating listening.

Talk about the perfect balance between comedy and sports chit chat.

Undr the Cosh

A podcast that’s only going from strength to strength, Undr The Cosh deviates away from the Totallys and Football Weeklys of the world. UTC is raw and unfiltered chaos, but it’s remarkably entertaining.

This is the home of football anecdotes and the Friday Club has proven to be a huge hit with listeners.

It Was What It Was

The latest series of The Overlap’s podcast network discusses the history of the sport we adore.

This is no chronological rundown of football from its disputed inception, but a series which digs deep into the events which helped shape the footballing world. Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper certainly aren’t shy of knowledge and the pair are able to discuss a litany of seismic moments in concise but brilliant detail.

The pair have run the rule over Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea takeover, Liverpool’s European Cup success in Rome, the rise of Lionel Messi, etc, etc. This is a must-listen for all football history boffs.

The Bleacher Report boys went their own way via Ranks FC which, you might’ve guessed, focusses upon rankings. However, this is no gimmicky show which aims to draw outrage via ludicrous opinions.

Hosts Jack Collins and ‘transfer guru’ Dean Jones are rational and reasonable, with football romanticist Collins working in great harmony with the more cynical Jones.

The ranking format makes for great entertainment and their new series ‘The Truth’, which features former host Sam Tighe, takes a slightly more serious approach into a range of topics.

In short, you feel like you’re listening to your best mates talk all things football.

These Football Times

These Football Times have become revered for their great prose and the most aesthetic of magazine covers and it’s no surprise their podcast matches their other products on the high-quality front.

Expert guests discuss more intricate moments of the sport’s history, as well as significant contemporary concerns. You don’t quite know what each episode is going to bring, but you’re guaranteed to exit each listen astounded by the insight and detail of each topic in question.

Athletico Mince

This utterly unique ‘football’ podcast is unlike anything you’ve ever listened to. Bob Mortimer is a comedic genius and his ‘Gangs of the EPL’ series alone is worthy of giving Athletico Mince a listen.

Good luck trying to contain your laughter when Mortimer digresses into the world of Steve McLaren and Casper, his pet snake, or the antics of Peter Beardsley and fictional wife Carol.