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In recent years, podcasts have become one of the most dominant ways to consume football media.
In fact, it's likely that most people will spend more of their lives listening to musings on the beautiful game than they will actually watching it.
Whether it's tuning into the musings of former pros, hearing dressing room tales from back in the day, or transfer insiders offering up the latest insight, there's a podcast for every type of football fan. Here at FourFourTwo we've run through the pick of the bunch...
WHO'S INVOLVED? Heavyweight hosts Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards are joined by an equally heavyweight conveyor belt of footballing icons, journalists and celebrities on a regular deep dive into the beautiful game.
WHY IT WORKS Football's biggest talking points are dissected by three of the most respected pundits around. Legendary guests tell stories from their careers, while big names in other fields – from journalist Fabrizio Romano to New York mayor Zohran Mamdani – have shared their own insights. The regular ribbings of Big Meeks are worth tuning in alone.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Former Soccer AM host Max Rushden and newspaper columnist Barry Glendenning chew the fat with their fellow journalists and other famous faces.
WHY IT WORKS The Guardian's selection of expert writers – from Serie A aficionado Nicky Bandini to Bundesliga devotee Andy Brassell – offer sharp analysis, inside scoops and hot takes that few other pods can rival. Rushden keeps the banter ticking along smoothly with his trademark wit and energy. One for those interested in a wide range of leagues and exploring deeper analysis.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Steve Bracknall (a comedy character played by Chris McClure, brother of Reverend and the Makers frontman Jon) leads a cast of larger-than-life footballing creations.
WHY IT WORKS One of the few mockumentary football pods. The series follows Bracknall, the assistant manager of fictional Sunday League side Royal Oak and self-proclaimed saviour of grassroots football, raging against any form of tactical or technological modernisation. VAR, false nines and inverted wing-backs come in for particular flak. Real guests (Robbie Williams among them) play along, straight-faced.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Former Manchester United, West Brom and Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.
WHY IT WORKS The ex-England gloveman and keen cyclist shares first-hand insights into the modern world of top-flight football, while major guests have included Ian Wright, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Troy Deeney. Foster's honesty and storytelling ability set the show apart – it isn't unusual for him to recall fascinating behind-the-scenes details about dressing room bust-ups, lucrative contract negotiations and the luxury conditions he became accustomed to during his Premier League career.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Content creators Marcus Speller, Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson, Jim Campbell and Vithushan Ehantharajah.
WHY IT WORKS An institution that's still going strong after first being launched in 2007, from a rented kitchen in Harlesden with a MiniDisc recorder. There are no ex-pros holding court or shouting over one another here, just proper mates-down-the-pub football chat that once hit no.1 among sports podcasts on iTunes ahead of more prestigious outlets. Weekly quizzes, hilarious tangents and Mike Dean baiting have kept it essential for two decades running.
“George Elek and Ali Maxwell's podcast does what it says on the tin – they took one look at the saturated, Premier League-focused football podcast space and realised there were 72 other fanbases not getting the coverage they should. NTT20 is your one-stop shop for all things EFL. Objective, well-researched opinions, predictions and analysis that delivers for the most engorged fans, as well as those seeking a more casual overview of key storylines across the leagues. Their season previews are a personal highlight, as was their coverage of last term's Southampton Spygate saga.”
WHO'S INVOLVED? Mark Chapman, with rotating pundits such as Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, Paul Robinson and John Murray.
WHY IT WORKS BBC Radio 5 Live's flagship podcast offering, providing daily, dependable, well-sourced football discussions with genuine broadcast journalism heft. A variety of shows fall under the Football Daily umbrella, including Monday Night Club and The Football Interview – past subjects include Thomas Tuchel and Cristiano Ronaldo. Featuring fewer hijinks than its more indie rivals, think of this as the podcast equivalent of Match of the Day.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Former Bolton, Newcastle and England gaffer Sam Allardyce, alongside sports broadcaster Natalie Pike.
WHY IT WORKS Big Sam opens his little black book of contacts for frank, old school dressing room chatter. Guests have ranged from Charlie Adam to Simon Grayson, the latter fresh off the back of managing in Nepal. No Tippy Tappy Football started as a 2022 World Cup one-off and, like a Rory Delap throw-in, just kept on going. Big Sam's bluntness on VAR, tactics and modern football's softness collides brilliantly with co-host Pike's sharper questioning.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Stand-up comedians Maisie Adam and Suzi Ruffell.
WHY IT WORKS Two genuinely hilarious mates dissecting women's football with real warmth – Adam provides the diehard fan element, with Ruffell being a recent convert, learning as she goes. Past guests on the pod have included Lionesses stars Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh, plus DJ Annie Mac. The show is openly anti-homophobia and a champion of the women's game. First launched back in 2023, Big Kick Energy is one of the fastest growing football podcasts on the scene.
WHO'S INVOLVED? The legendary former Manchester United and England centre-back, plus presenters Joel Beya and Stephen Howson.
WHY IT WORKS Three shows in one: Rio Presents, Rio Meets (big interviews, from Ryan Giggs to Kingsley Coman) and Rio Reacts. The triptych is all the more intense given Rio often presents from what appears to be a neon-lit shisha lounge (disclaimer: it isn't actually). Things often veer off into purely Manchester United-focused conversation, but that's to be expected given Rio's background. He's never afraid of speaking his mind.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Well-connected journos Emma Paton, David Ornstein, Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and James Horncastle.
WHY IT WORKS Several days a week of the deepest reporting money can buy. Ornstein's transfer scoops land here first, sometimes mid-recording. Deadline day episodes are appointment listening for journalists breaking news live on air rather than just discussing it. Less banter, more genuine insider access and whispers from unnamed club sources. A podcast for anyone who obsesses about the biggest breaking stories in football.
“The long-running pod has an elite host in James Richardson, who pulls the strings and raps tea-spitting intros to each episode. The squad depth of pundits is immense – a who's who of people who've contributed to FFT like Tom Williams, Seb Stafford-Bloor and Julien Laurens. The structure and pacing are polished, with in-jokes to indulge fans (at the World Cup, a skunk kept appearing in the garden of their Airbnb, and the team developed an obsession with repeating Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach's name with thick Aussie accents). A charming gang you'd want to be part of.”
WHO'S INVOLVED? Respected journalists Jonathan Wilson, Rory Smith, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Miguel Delaney, John Brewin, Tariq Panja and James Horncastle launched the pod in 2025.
WHY IT WORKS Some of football's best writers, self-described as covering ‘the least important of the most important things' – in other words, football. The group unpack everything from Pep Guardiola's legacy at Manchester City to why French football keeps producing winners, while Germany and the Netherlands stall. Episodes are released regularly, and the team also recorded in front of a live audience in May.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Ex-Celtic and Swindon midfielder Si Ferry fronts things alongside the former Ayr winger Paul Slane. Their fellow past pros Gordon Dalziel, Andy Halliday and Derek Ferguson (father of Bologna midfielder Lewis) are additional regulars on the panel.
WHY IT WORKS Scottish football dissected by those who have been there and done it. With an endless cast of retired players trading dressing-room stories, it's become the go-to listen for fans north of the border. The show's guest list has spanned Scotland internationals from Ally McCoist to James McFadden.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Joe Cole previously had a podcast with Ashley Cole – now he's got one with Carlton Cole (and Wayne Bridge). Expect future pods with Andy Cole, rapper J. Cole and the ghost of Nat King Cole, as Joe regales the jazz legend with tales of his time at Lille.
WHY IT WORKS The trio tell stories of David Beckham's pre-World Cup party, Bridge getting left behind in Japan, and Joe upsetting magician David Blaine. Carlton's weekly quiz (with a Roger Milla figurine as the prize) adds a competitive edge. Inevitably, there are Jose Mourinho stories aplenty.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Henry Winter teams up with Christian Purslow, formerly on the board of Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
WHY IT WORKS Genuine boardroom access teams up with seven-time Football Writer of the Year credibility. Purslow has run the business operations of three huge clubs, so when he and Winter discuss FIFA's private investment plans or Amanda Staveley's West Ham bid, it's not speculation – it's informed analysis from two men who know how football works. The football podcast world's equivalent of reading the Financial Times.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Journalists Adam Hurrey, Charlie Eccleshare and David Walker.
WHY IT WORKS Hurrey's 2014 book of the same name that dissected commentary jargon has since evolved into a podcasting juggernaut. Whether it's ‘a game of two halves', ‘losing the dressing room', ‘sleepwalking to relegation' or a ‘Lampardian transition', no hackneyed football phrase is safe from forensic examination. The show has been shortlisted for the Football Supporters' Association's Podcast of the Year gong on multiple occasions, with past guests ranging from Jamie Carragher to Keir Starmer.
“I was a massive fan of Quickly Kevin, the podcast about '90s football that ended in 2024 – it was the era of football I was born into and I loved the old Josh Widdicombe-led series. It was with some trepidation, then, that I moved across to sequel Let's Be Having You! about football in the 2000s – it hasn't disappointed. Chris Scull has recruited funnyman Alex Brooker for a comb through an iconic decade. The era's biggest questions are answered: Was Dream Team actually crap? Why didn't Delia Smith's half-time rant work? And how did England blow Euro 2004? Hilarious and nostalgic.”
WHO'S INVOLVED? Leicester goal machine and dedicated s**thouse Jamie Vardy, now with Burnley, tells the story of his rise, joined by a revolving cast of superstar guests from football, comedy and music.
WHY IT WORKS From working in a splint factory and wearing a police tag to firing Leicester to a 5,000-1 Premier League title win, Vardy looks back over a career that even Hollywood would find far-fetched. The no-nonsense Yorkshireman is joined by some massive names from across the celebrity spectrum – not least wife and Coleen-botherer Rebekah Vardy.
“Just to confuse everyone, Chris Brown (the ex-Sunderland striker, not the R&B singer) teams up with Chris Brown (the comedy writer, not the R&B singer) and former EFL cult hero Jon Parkin for chats with a host of ex-players, featuring funny anecdotes galore. Interviewees may not always be as high profile as podcasts elsewhere, but anyone who's followed the EFL over the past two decades will know them – the one they did with Graham Westley was brilliant, as the four-time Stevenage boss tried to explain the truth behind basically every weird story ever told about his bizarre management methods.”
WHO'S INVOLVED? Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and journalist Chris McHardy.
WHY IT WORKS Mikel pulls no punches on the airwaves, calling former Nigeria boss Sunday Oliseh the worst manager he ever worked under and retelling the story of how he s**t himself with fear after snubbing Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United for Chelsea in 2006. Blunt and occasionally controversial, it turns out Obi One is a force to be reckoned with in the podcast game. Jay-Jay Okocha, Andre Villas-Boas and Mikel's former Chelsea skipper John Terry have been recent guests.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Legendary Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt team up with comedian, Bolton fan and former Take Me Out presenter Paddy McGuinness.
WHY IT WORKS Two treble-winners (with 17 Premier League titles between them, no less) excoriate the latest goings on at Old Trafford and beyond, with lashings of rose-tinted recollections about life under Fergie. Scholes is as deadpan and biting as ever, with Butt more than happy to two-foot any of the club's current strugglers following big defeats, while McGuinness directs traffic.
WHO'S INVOLVED? The always mellow host Joe Devine guides the conversation, along with the rest of the affable Tifo team.
WHY IT WORKS The audio arm of the beloved Tifo YouTube channel – famed for its gentle storytelling, cartoon graphics and funky animations – going deep on tactics, football history and geopolitics. Everything from Turkish football's fiery past to how club ownership structures work is covered with painstaking research and simple explanations, plus regular analysis of the latest big matches across the Premier League and Europe.
“Ever sat in the pub and the conversation veers off to places you didn't expect? A discussion about Gareth Bale can end up with chat about your neighbour's dog s**tting in your garden. The running joke on this podcast is it's now more ‘sports adjacent' – in the same way Top Gear is about cars, the subject gets you in the door, but the chemistry and comedy keep you listening. The format is based around short clips, books and documentaries – Steff Garrero holds things together while Mike Bubbins and Elis James, previously of Sky's Fantasy Football League reboot, go off on comedic tangents.”
WHO'S INVOLVED? Jonathan Wilson, football writer and author of Inverting the Pyramid, plus award-winning reporter Rob Draper.
WHY IT WORKS It's a deep dive into history, unpacking football's greatest sagas, both tactical and political. Think Bert Trautmann's journey from Nazi paratrooper to Manchester City gloveman, Kevin Keegan's coronation in Hamburg and Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen heroics. Wilson's tactical historian schtick paired with Draper's storytelling makes each episode feel like a (fun, we promise) university seminar. One for the absolute nerds.
WHO'S INVOLVED? Paul Watson (FFT writer and the brother of comedian Mark), plus fellow travel lover Lee Wingate.
WHY IT WORKS A love letter to Europe's forgotten leagues and the bizarre stories they throw up. No, we're not talking about France and Germany here, but the likes of Latvia and Lithuania – FFT once had the pleasure of attending an obscure game in Austria with Sweeper co-host Wingate, and his knowledge and passion for the more random corners of football was astounding. Fans who can't sit still will love this one.
That Peter Crouch Podcast first launched in 2018 and is still going strong today – even musical megastars want in on the action, as the former England frontman tells FFT.
Did it surprise you how quickly your podcast became a big hit? You've even done huge live events in the past.
It did surprise me. We were very early on in the curve of pods and at the start, you think, ‘No-one's gone to listen to this', but it just took off. It's taken us to places I never thought we'd go – we've sold out Wembley Arena twice, we've been to Kensington Palace, we've been to Rod Stewart's house, we've had Elton John on. We've had all the footballers that have been my heroes over the years, and we've been going for almost 10 years. Our listeners have stayed loyal to us and made it what it is. I love doing it, it's a real passion project of mine, something I'll continue to do as long as people enjoy it.
Why do you think it's done so well?
At the start, it was something very different – footballers coming on and talking about something other than the game, the result or what went wrong. People saw a different side to footballers; you can be who you want to be, and I've only ever been myself. I was talking about certain players and things that happened to me in football, and it showed there was a real thirst for going deeper into the game and what happens – on holidays, on pre-season, in the treatment room when you're injured. It was just talking about that world of football beyond the game.
What was it like going to Rod Stewart's house for one of your recordings?
Incredible, we had a great day. We had a little walk round, we sat in his gym, he's got a football pitch outside where he has a team that come round and play, and he had all his Celtic memorabilia, with stories from each thing. Just sitting in his lounge and waiting for him was probably the most exciting moment. He loves football – that's what's so good about doing podcasts, you meet people from different worlds, who all have one common interest: football. If you talk to Rod Stewart about Celtic, his eyes light up – you talk about playing Madison Square Garden or Wembley Stadium and probably he's less excited. I've met people from different walks of life – Prince William, Elton John, we had Gary Oldman on recently – and they love talking about football.
How did the Elton John episode happen?
I got a call from him, believe it or not! I was in the car on the way up to a game and I got a call from him personally, saying he'd like to come on. I was like “OK!” I have somebody who drives me when I'm going up north, and when I was like, “Hi Elton”, my driver was looking back at me in the rear-view mirror, because there aren't many Eltons around! I was nodding to him, like, “Yeah, it's that Elton!” It was an amazing moment – for him to take time to personally ask to come on the podcast was very special.
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