TOP 5 PODCASTS EVERY FOOTBALL FAN SHOULD BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW

Football podcasts used to be a niche thing: grainy audio, two blokes in a pub, and an intro jingle nicked off YouTube. But in 2025, it’s an art form. For proper fans, they’ve become essential listening: the way you stay informed, get a laugh, and keep your sanity during international breaks. Whether you want deep tactical insight, outrageous stories, or a full-body vent about your team’s leaky back four, there’s a show for you.

Here are five of the best football podcasts out right now: no fluff, no PR spin, just the ones worth sticking in your ears.

1. The Second Tier

For: anyone who supports a club not sponsored by a betting site, airline or Arabian state

If you’re bored of top-six debates and hearing about Man United’s “rebuild” for the 11th season in a row, The Second Tier is the antidote. Hosted by Ryan Dilks and Justin Peach, it’s the best Championship-focused podcast out there and probably the most comprehensive roundup of the EFL as a whole.

What makes it stand out is its consistency and depth. These guys obviously watch all the games they’re talking about rather than just reeling off the scores. They understand the squads and they know what it means for the fans when you’ve used up all your subs, your keeper gets sent off and your journeyman centre-half of a captain has to go in net for the last 10. It’s a refreshing, detail-driven pod that treats the second tier with the seriousness it deserves, while still having a laugh along the way. No recycled Premier League talking points. Just actual, intelligent conversation about the clubs that make up the heart and soul of English football.

IG: @secondtierpod
X: @secondtierpod
YT: @secondtierpod
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/second-tier-the-championship-football-podcast/id1467785951 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3aknTzKXjJSTu1LTtlU3dA

2. The Upshot

For: Memes, mayhem and stories you wouldn’t believe if they weren’t true

Football is chaos. The Upshot understands this on a spiritual level. It’s less a podcast and more a wild ride through the weirder, sillier, darker corners of the footballing universe. Hosted by Adam Hurrey (of Football Clichés fame), it takes a sideways look at the beautiful game, less Match of the Day, more pub chat crossed with Reddit rabbit holes.

Expect segments about obscure stadium beefs, unhinged match-day quotes and semi-mythical footballing folklore. The tone is smart but self-aware, like your mate who knows exactly why Rotherham’s last-minute winner mattered but still can’t stop laughing at that one time a mascot got sent off for kicking the ball away. For fans who like their football with a side of Twitter-core absurdity, this is the one.

IG: @UpshotTowers
X: @UpshotTowers
YT: @UpshotTowers
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-upshot/id1695737030 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1I73S1uKoKzkRnedbnYTlB

3. That Peter Crouch Podcast

For: Changing room tales, player insight and lanky LOLs

In a world of tightly media-trained ex-players, Peter Crouch is a breath of fresh air: a tall man with tall tales and zero ego. His podcast (now in its fifth season) has become one of the UK’s biggest football listens for good reason: it’s like being invited into the dressing room, without having to look at John Terry’s flaccid member.

With Crouch joined by Chris Stark and Steve Sidwell (and often a raft of guests), the show mixes old-school banter with genuine behind-the-scenes insight. Want to know what pre-season training actually feels like? Curious about the politics of player fines or the weirdest post-match rituals? This is the pod that tells you with warmth, humour and surprising honesty.

It’s also just plain fun. You don’t need to support any particular club to enjoy it. You just need to love the game and be willing to laugh at the fact that professional footballers are often as clueless as the rest of us.

IG: @PeterCrouchPod
X: @PeterCrouchPod
YT: @thatpetercrouchpodcast
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/tz/podcast/that-peter-crouch-podcast/id1616744464 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2NqEBd6EJNfs6A3527xwVD

4. The Athletic Football Podcast

For: The real stuff: transfers, tactics and behind-the-scenes info

If you want insight without the nonsense, The Athletic delivers. Their podcast is basically a daily briefing for people who take football seriously. With a rotating cast of journalists, ex-players and tacticians, each episode tackles a topic in proper depth, whether it’s a club in crisis, a trend in modern formations, or the story behind a specific transfer.

It helps that The Athletic has one of the most well-connected writing teams in football, so when they talk about what’s going on at your club, it’s probably bang on. Unlike some pods that coast on personality, this one thrives on expertise, but — crucially — without sounding like a TED Talk. It’s accessible, grounded, and rarely wastes your time.

Great for commuters, data heads or anyone whose idea of fun is a 15-minute debate on double pivots (which often includes us).

IG: @TheAthleticFC
X: @TheAthleticFC
YT: @TheAthleticFCPodcast
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-athletic-fc-podcast/id1488521447 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/69AAB4ojTuK7gwy3ZdQdB9

5. Between The Lines

For: Fans, by fans

In a podcast landscape filled with polished soundbites and brand partnerships, Between The Lines is refreshingly down-to- earth. It’s run by real fans, the kind who’ve actually queued for away tickets in the rain and remember when their club’s kit was sponsored by a local skip hire firm.

This is not a pod pretending to be Sky Sports. It’s smart, funny and totally unpretentious. The topics are broad — match previews, big-picture debates, weird football moments — but always grounded in real fandom. You’ll hear honest opinions, regional takes and probably a few passionate rants. But it never feels forced.

It’s the sort of show that reminds you football isn’t just about elite clubs and billionaire owners, celebrating the dodgy refereeing decisions, overpriced pints and the joy of a last-minute winner on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke.

IG: @btlpods
X: @fbtlpod
YT: @btlpods
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/football-between-the-lines/id1761347366 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4wkQMB6A9pmzB74uVEEW6S