The Rest Is Football poster

The Rest Is Football Podcast

Football podcasts have become an important part of the modern sports media landscape, but few have grown as quickly as The Rest Is Football. Launched in August 2023, the podcast has brought together three widely recognised former England internationals: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

While three men talking about football is hardly a unique set-up, the podcast manages to outperform many rivals due to the chemistry of its hosts. Lineker, Shearer and Richards, despite their distinct personalities, complement each other very well, creating conversations that always feel natural.

This, combined with some clever marketing and significant financial backing, has resulted in a podcast that attracts over seven million listeners a month.

How The Rest Is Football Started

Gary Linekar
Gary Linekar (Fred Duval via Shutterstock)

The Rest Is Football was launched in August 2023 by Goalhanger, the podcast company co-founded by Gary Lineker. By this point, Goalhanger had already enjoyed considerable success with shows such as The Rest Is History (launched 2020) and The Rest Is Politics (launched 2022).

For episode one, as is still the case now, Lineker was joined by Shearer and Richards, creating a panel that spans four decades of football. Lineker made his professional debut in 1979, while Richards retired in 2019. All three played for the Three Lions and in England’s top flight, although they did not all enjoy similarly fruitful careers.

Lineker was one of the finest English strikers of his generation and scored 48 goals for his country. He represented Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham before finishing his career in Japan. Shearer was another striker, but of a completely different mould. A bruiser rather than a graceful poacher, he remains the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer after a career with Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and his boyhood club, Newcastle United.

Richards, meanwhile, came through at Manchester City with an abundance of promise. Indeed, an ongoing joke is how he ‘burst onto the scene’. However, his career was plagued by injuries. Only once in a campaign did he reach 30 league appearances. As injuries took their toll, he fell out of favour internationally and retired early at the age of 31, having not played for more than two and a half years.

Why the Three Hosts Work So Well

Micah Richards
Micah Richards (Ververidis Vasilis via Shutterstock)

The biggest strength of The Rest Is Football is not the subjects discussed, but the people discussing them.

Lineker is the most experienced broadcaster of the three and often provides a sense of structure to the conversation. As a host, he is simply very good at what he does and brings a degree of order to proceedings. Shearer offers very much unfiltered opinions, often with strong language, and has clear opinions on many issues, which can lead to challenges or chuckles from the other two. Richards brings energy, humour and an infectious laugh, while his younger age often gives him a different take compared to his older colleagues.

Richards’ ability to heartily accept teasing from Shearer and Lineker works well. He is very happy to laugh at himself, and there is no bitterness that his career was restricted by injury. This enables his less impressive record to be a target for the other two on occasion. Amongst all the laughter, though, there is still plenty of serious discussion and, as far as punditry goes, the three do a good job. There can be some slightly reactionary takes at times, but these are three men who know the game well, can articulate their thoughts and genuinely watch a lot of football.

Finding the right balance between laughs and interesting topics is not easy, but it is something The Rest Is Football does so well. Most of the time, it really feels like three genuine friends having a good time talking about something they are passionate and knowledgeable about.

Less Reliance on Special Guests

Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (carltonreid via Wikipedia)

One feature that separates The Rest Is Football from some other leading football podcasts is its reliance on its regular hosts. Others regularly use special guests as a way of producing a stream of fresh content. While this is a perfectly good format, it is notable that The Rest Is Football is able to rely much more on its presenters alone.

To be clear, special guests do sometimes appear. Jamie Vardy and Terry Butcher are two recent examples at the time of writing, but they are far less common. For regular listeners, this consistency is welcome, as they know what they are getting most of the time. When podcasts rely heavily on special guests, the quality can vary more depending on the guest themselves.

Shorter Episodes and Plenty of Them


The format also makes The Rest Is Football easy to fit into everyday life. Episodes are generally much shorter than some of the long-form football podcasts available today, usually lasting somewhere between 20 and 50 minutes. This does not mean overall content is lacking though, as new episodes tend to appear three times per week.

What Does The Rest Is Football Discuss?


The Rest Is Football is very much focused on the latest stories and results from the beautiful game. Premier League clubs are a major focus, with the three hosts regularly discussing the biggest clubs, matches and talking points. The England national team is another common subject whenever they are in action.

The show also gives the hosts plenty of opportunities to look back on their playing days. Stories from their careers often lead to some of the most entertaining conversations, while quizzes and other features add to the fun. It is not a podcast built around detailed tactical analysis, but rather casual conversation and honest opinions.

From Podcast to Netflix


The biggest indication of The Rest Is Football’s success came during the 2026 World Cup, when Netflix turned the podcast into a daily programme. Lineker, Shearer and Richards travelled to New York for the tournament, producing daily shows featuring analysis, debate and interviews. Netflix made the programme available globally, giving the trio a much larger audience.

The experiment clearly worked. The show appeared in Netflix’s Daily Top 10 TV chart throughout its 40-day run, encouraging the streaming service to continue the partnership beyond the World Cup. In August 2026, The Rest Is Football returned to Netflix for the next two Premier League seasons. New episodes feature every Monday and Friday, with the agreement running through to Euro 2028.

Where Can You Listen to The Rest Is Football?

The Rest Is Football logoDespite the Netflix deal, The Rest Is Football continues to run in all the usual places, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. It is worth noting, though, that many of the World Cup episodes did not feature on YouTube. The platform is, however, used regularly for shorter clips, allowing fans to watch some of the best podcast moments without sitting through a full episode.