Podcasts have completely transformed how we consume football. Gone are the days when you had to wait for the weekend highlights show or a quick radio phone-in to get your fix. The beauty of the podcasting era is the sheer variety on offer. Whether you want deep tactical analysis, high-level journalism, or just the feeling of sitting in a pub listening to retired pros tell hilarious stories, there is a show out there for you.

As the world’s biggest sport, football is home to countless podcasts. Most of them are easily accessible on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, but the big question is which ones are actually worth your time? That is what we are here to break down.

The Athletic’s Analytical Edge

If you prefer your football talk steeped in journalistic rigour rather than dressing room banter, The Athletic’s roster of shows is exactly where you need to look. Their lineup became practically untouchable in the podcasting space when they brought The Totally Football Show under their umbrella a few years back. Hosted by the brilliant James Richardson, it is an absolute staple for anyone wanting smart, witty analysis of the Premier League and European football. You get proper insight without the tired cliches usually trotted out by television pundits, all delivered with Jimbo's trademark puns.

Beyond the flagship weekend reviews, they also have the daily news cycle completely covered. The Athletic FC Podcast leads the charge on this front. Hosted by Ayo Akinwolere, the weekday episodes feature top correspondents like David Ornstein and Adam Crafton dissecting the biggest stories in the game. Listeners get genuine insight into transfer negotiations, board-level politics, and the financial regulations that dictate how a club operates behind closed doors. It feels less like a fan forum and more like a briefing from a director of football.

The network also has a brilliant knack for making heavy tactical analysis genuinely fun, largely thanks to the Tifo Football Podcast. Tifo built a massive cult following on YouTube before joining The Athletic, and their audio offering carries over that exact same charm. You get Jon Mackenzie trying his best to explain mid-block defensive structures or inverted fullbacks, all while host Joe Devine gleefully derails the conversation with bizarre hypotheticals and cracking jokes. It is the perfect blend of lighthearted banter and smart footballing concepts, making the raw mechanics of the sport incredibly easy to digest without feeling like a university lecture.

Combine all of that with a massive suite of club-specific broadcasts, and the depth is unmatched. Shows like Talk of the Devils for Manchester United or Pod On The Tyne for Newcastle provide detailed match previews from reporters who actually follow the teams up and down the country. For the average fan tuning in on a Friday commute, these deep dives into form and predicted lineups serve a dual purpose. They keep you incredibly well informed, and they provide the perfect intel for anyone looking to finalise their Fantasy Premier League transfers or figure out the smartest way to use any free bets ahead of the weekend fixtures.

What sets this entire network apart is the sheer level of access. Because of the publication's standing in the sport, they make a habit of bringing on current managers, data analysts, and sometimes even sporting directors to explain their philosophies. It is a fantastic listen that gives you a much smarter perspective on the beautiful game.

The Upshot

The Upshot is the perfect antidote for fans who are tired of PR-trained player interviews and want to peek behind the curtain. Hosted by Jack Rivlin and Zachary Sweeney-Lynch, this brilliant podcast revels in the glorious, chaotic mess of sporting gossip. They actively hunt down the types of absurd scandals, boardroom meltdowns, and hilarious off-pitch antics that commercial broadcasters simply wouldn't dare touch with a barge pole.

To give you a proper flavour of what to expect, they regularly dig up some of the most surreal tales in football history. Take the legendary story of journeyman goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel, for example. The podcast dedicated time to the utterly bizarre allegations that he once snatched a live penguin and kept it in his bathtub while playing club football in New Zealand.

Then there is their ongoing fascination with the wonderfully weird life of Michael Owen. Instead of talking about his Ballon d'Or or his goals for England, they focus on the fact that he has famously watched just a handful of films in his entire life and hasn’t seen some of the biggest blockbusters in modern history. They also highlight his other brilliantly odd quirks, from his mum handling his finances well into his late 30s to his staunch, lifelong refusal to drink either tea or coffee. It is a fantastic, light-hearted listen that constantly reminds you that professional athletes are often very strange people.

That Peter Crouch Podcast

Who doesn’t like Crouchy? The giraffe man was one of the most iconic English players, mainly because of his height. He played for the national team and scored countless goals for the likes of Liverpool and Spurs. After retiring, he started his podcast and has almost 400 episodes.

One of the best things about this podcast is that the topics include far more than just football stories. You'll catch Crouch and his guests talking about pop culture and lifestyle. There's also a good segment called Game's Gone.

This is where listeners submit some of the issues that they have with modern football, and the hosts discuss them. Some of these issues include modern tactics like the need for goalkeepers to be playing out from the back, VAR, laser shows, using phones on the pitch, etc. Through the Game’s Gone section, the podcast keeps listeners engaged and adds a huge sense of humour.

The Second Tier

Justin Peach and Ryan Dilks are the driving force behind The Second Tier, easily one of the most popular football podcasts dedicated entirely to the beautiful chaos of the Championship. If you follow England’s second-tier football division, you already know it is an absolute grind of a league. With a relentless 46-game schedule where genuinely anyone can beat anyone on their day, it requires a special kind of dedication to keep track of it all. This podcast captures that unpredictability perfectly.

Unlike some of the other shows on this list that lean heavily on off-pitch banter, The Second Tier strikes a slightly more focused and serious tone. Peach and Dilks dig right into the meat of the weekend action, offering sharp match previews and comprehensive game week reviews. They are also incredibly quick to react to the constant flurry of managerial sackings that define the league, keeping fans fully up to speed on who is making a late surge for the playoffs and who is staring down the barrel of relegation to League One.

The stakes in this division are monumentally high, which is why their detailed analysis is so valuable. Every single club in the Championship is desperately fighting for promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, where you can find some of the biggest earners in world sport. That massive financial gulf dictates so much of the drama on the pitch, and the podcast does a brilliant job of highlighting the intense pressure cooker environment these teams operate in week after week.

Other Honourable Mentions

Since every football fan looks for something slightly different, it is always worth keeping an eye out for other shows to add to your rotation. Now that we have properly covered the massive network over at The Athletic, here are a few other heavyweight podcasts that absolutely deserve your time:

• The Rest Is Football: If you want the feeling of sitting in a pub with legends of the game, this is the one. Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards have brilliant chemistry and provide a much lighter, laugh-out-loud take on the week's events.
• Football Weekly: The Guardian’s flagship football podcast is a genuine institution. Hosted by Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning, it offers a beautifully cynical, sarcastic, and highly entertaining look at the footballing world.
• The Overlap: Gary Neville's project has quickly become essential listening. It is brilliant for long-form, deeply personal interviews with current players, managers, and retired legends.

Arseblog Arsecast: When it comes to club-specific audio, independent fan-led shows often produce the best material. This Arsenal-focused podcast is a prime example of how you do not need a massive broadcasting network behind you to put out top-tier, incredibly engaging content week after week.