Top 10 Football Podcasts to Listen to in 2021

Football podcasts are more popular than ever at the moment, with more options for shows to enjoy than ever before. Ahead of our brand new (top secret) podcast launch next month, we take a look at the ten best football podcasts to listen to in 2021.

10. Training ground guru

Latest Episode: Emma Hayes: Quest for the quadruple

Description: Welcome to the Training Ground Guru podcast, in association with Hudl. Each month we’ll be taking you behind the scenes in professional football, with unique insights from leading experts. Thanks for listening.

Our Take: Training Ground Guru is a podcast targeted towards coaches, footballing fanatics and those looking for in-depth, behind the scenes insight into professional realms. From detailed insights into academy environments to interviews with world class managers and coaches, Training Ground Guru has a resume that 99% of podcasts would be jealous of. With countless years of interviewing experience, Josh Schneider-Weiler makes for an excellent host of the show and always keeps the conversations interesting.

9. Footy Prime

Latest Episode: Liverpool Keeper’s Big Head! Leicester’s FA Cup on Footy Prime’s Weekend Wrap

Description: The Slightly Absurd but always Insightful Voice of Footy…& other great shite! Join @DannyDichio @CraigForrest1 @JamesSharman weekly! Produced by @Danwongsez

Our Take: Bringing some of the greatest voices in the Canadian soccer landscape together, Footy Prime takes the former Sportsnet pundits and puts them all on the same podcast. With his years of experience hosting for Sportsnet, The Score and now OneSoccer, James Sharman is a superb host, excellent at carrying the conversation and always ready to ask the tough questions. Danny Dichio and Craig Forrest provide very contrasting views at times, Forrest more analytical and Dichio more vocal and opinionated. The three of them have excellent chemistry together and consistently help make soccer in North America relevant.

8. The Sky Sports Podcast

Latest Episode: ‘It’s in Liverpool’s hands’ after Blues beat foxes at the Bridge

Description: All under one roof: The Pitch to Post Preview, Pitch to Post Review, Super Sunday, Monday Night Football, Women’s Football Show and more.

Our Take: Although the Sky Sports Show is not necessarily a traditional podcast, it’s still one of the best football discussion shows to enjoy. It essentially just takes all of Sky Sports’ Premier League shows and produces them (either in whole or in part) in audio format. But for people around the world who don’t have the same ease of access to Sky Sports, having the podcast to keep up to date with the opinions of people like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher is a treat.

7. The Bundesliga Diaries

Latest Episode: MD33 – Dortmund & Wolfsburg get Champions League as Schalke shock Frankfurt

Description: Matchday reports and stories of the Bundesliga.

Our Take: The only show on our list that talks specifically about just one league – The Bundesliga Diaries is a superb show, on a seemingly small budget with aspiring journalists / fans of the game who just love the Bundesliga. The roundtable discussions about the weekend that was in Germany’s top flight never disappoint, due to the strong passion of the panelists. The dynamic of the crew is also more apparent than most footballing podcasts, as they genuinely seem like good friends who know how to banter with each other, rather than professional colleagues who don’t have much in the way of chemistry. Their passion for the game also always comes across, and they never complain about how boring football is like many football podcasts strangely seem to do these days.

6. Football Today

Latest Episode: Julian Nagelsmann and the Growing Head Coach Transfer Market

Description: Football Today gives you in-depth analysis of the biggest stories from the world of football in episodes that you can listen to in a single commute. From corruption and controversy to the issues that are changing the fabric of the game. Don’t just read the game, feel the game.

Our Take: Football Today, again produced by Josh Schneider-Weiler, is a fantastic series involving in-depth interviews with various football experts about some of the game’s biggest stories on a week to week basis. With a variety of different guests, soothing background music and a lighthearted feel to the interviews, Schneider-Weiler does a fantastic job at making the episodes come to life, regardless of the topic.

5. Extra Time – Football Daily

Latest Episode: The Players Your Club Should Sign This Summer

Description: Football Daily presents the Extra Time podcast. Joe, Chris, & Patrick take a topic they’re passionate about and deconstruct it, discuss the week in football, and ramble on interminably. It’s technically content. Please rate & review!

Our Take: Produced by popular YouTube Channel and Sky Sports affiliated enterprise – Football Daily, Extra Time lives up to much of the same hype that their platform achieves in other spaces. Patrick van Straaten always keeps the show interesting and asks dynamic questions as the host of the show, while all of the panelists are knowledgeable and informed about the topics they discuss each and every week. Best of all – they never take themselves too seriously and are always ready to produce a fun show for their viewership.

4. Zonal Marking

Latest Episode: The Alternative Team of the Season

Description: The Athletic’s Michael Cox, Tom Worville & Ali Maxwell break down the tactical & technical details of football past & present, focusing on a single subject each episode with the help of expert guests.

Our Take: One of the more intellectual, intelligent footballing podcasts out there, Zonal Marking sees Michael Cox and Tom Worville sit down with Ali Maxwell to discuss everything in tactics, analysis and stats. The podcast is definitely more for footballing nerds than just your everyday fan, but it is far more detailed and informative than just about any football podcast you will find. Through never doing anything particularly relevant to the specific week or current football events, they keep the episodes fresh and the listeners guessing as to what’s coming up next. Michael Cox and Tom Worville are also two of the most knowledgeable football experts around, backed up by Ali Maxwell who is no slouch himself and an excellent conversationalist.

3. Football Ramble

Latest Episode: Chelsea win the rematch, the Seagulls nick Pep’s chips, and a standing ovation for Roy the Boy

Description: In 2007, The Football Ramble was born out of Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson, Marcus Speller and Jim Campbell’s passion for the most popular sport in the world—as well as a shared inability to take themselves too seriously. Since then, the boys have come a very long way: from a best-selling book to sold out live shows. Now, joined by Jules Breach, Kate Mason, Andy Brassell and Vithushan Ehantharajah, the Football Ramble brings you daily episodes of equal parts insight and hilarity. All this and more, Monday through Friday. Lend us your ears and we’ll keep you up to date with the latest stories from the Premier League and all around Europe, all with an eye for both the sublime and the ridiculous.

Our Take: If you want to hear a football podcast where very good pals tell jokes and make each other laugh hysterically, then Football Ramble is definitely for you. With a rotating set of guests and hosts experienced in discussing Premier League football for other networks, Football Ramble continuously keeps their show interesting and fun. They also accomplish that with pure and utter randomness, such as a song break or a trivia quiz out of the blue. Football Ramble also does a magnificent job of keeping the show lighthearted and fun, while transcending the medium to appeal to different audiences.

2. football Weekly – the guardian

Latest Episode: Chelsea close on top-four spot and Roy Hodgson retires – Football Weekly

Description: The Football Weekly podcast squad brings you a thrice-weekly dose of puns and punditry, news and analysis – from the Premier League and beyond.

Our Take: Led by Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning, The Guardian’s Football Weekly is an exceptional podcast, and to be fair, it should be for a production as big as The Guardian. Max and Barry’s dynamic is fantastic, with Barry the funny man and Max the one steering and driving the conversation. They are joined by an array of knowledgeable panelists including the likes of Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson on a rotating schedule, and discuss topics beyond just the Premier League and events of a particular match-week. Now that it’s turned into more or less Football Bi-Weekly (twice a week), it’s gotten even better. Despite the fact that many other shows talk about what happened over the weekend, you can’t help but come back week after week to hear what Max and Barry have to say about the week that was. They’re just that good.

1. Tifo Football

Latest Episode: Schmeichel’s Steely Arms and a New Breed of Libero

Description: In-depth tactical, historical & geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game. From the team behind the Tifo Football YouTube channel. Hosted by Joe Devine.

Our Take: The cream of the crop, Tifo Football is truly the best in the business when it comes to football podcasts. Joe Devine is genuinely the funniest and most natural host of any podcast possibly in existence, with a natural ease to make any conversation utterly bizarre and hilarious. Meanwhile, Seb Stafford-Bloor and Alex Stewart are fantastic at what they provide for the show, both with a never-ending knowledge and understanding of the game like very few others. Alex is an extraordinary tactician, while Seb too is incredibly articulate and has an impeccable ability to turn every topic of discussion into a full on storytelling event. New addition JJ Bull has also been fun, even threatening Joe’s role as the funny one on the podcast. Regardless of if you want to listen about tactics, analysis, footballing news, match reports or whatever it is you’re in for, Tifo Football will provide you with non-stop entertainment and should be your go-to football podcast from now on.

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So there it is! Our picks for the best football podcasts to listen to in 2021. What’s your favourite? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter @mastermindsite. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

Also be sure to check out our current podcasts including Futbol Masterminds and Bundesliga Weekly! Be sure to stay tuned for our upcoming (top secret) podcast launch next month!