REVIEW: ‘The Rest Is Football’ Was The Perfect Companion For The World Cup

The Rest is Football sees a podcast evolve into something new. The highly successful football podcast, produced by Goalhanger, becomes a full studio show on Netflix as a companion piece for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The hosts of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards cover the most memorable and important moments of the World Cup in a daily livestream, broadcast live from the middle of Times Square.

That last point is important to the show, as it places The Rest is Football in the heart of America. Lineker and his companions are in the States, breathing in the excitement and environment. The studio itself looks terrific, with a homely vibe that sets it apart from the more sterile landscape of ITV and the BBC.

The language of the podcast hasn’t changed at all, adapting well to a new medium. The hosts are swearing, with glasses of wine in front of them as they sit at a dining room table. There is a feeling of energy and enthusiasm, especially in the early stages of the tournament.

Having the episodes livestreamed at the end of each day is a stroke of genius for Netflix. It’s easily digestible and really helpful for both newcomers and the experienced. The humor of Richards and Lineker helps settle the audience in, and then comes the analysis. It’s not overly geeky, but many of the guests bring a great level of awareness, knowledge, and experience of the sport.

The Rest is Football’s timing was perfect for Netflix. 

There is a professionalism added to the show, especially in the presenters and the globe-trotting nature. Lineker is one of, if not the most experienced, football broadcasters in the UK, with an unrivaled career. Not only did he lead the line for England in multiple World Cups, which he loves to mention at any point and his co-presenters love to tease him about, but he was the host of Match of the Day for decades. Shearer was also a wicked player and has been the BBC’s lead pundit for almost 20 years.

Richards, whilst being a good player, is an example of a footballer who didn’t make the most of his talents. But as a TV personality, he is exceptional. He’s boisterous and loud, but also very detailed, clever and emotional. This energy is appreciated by numerous TV stations, but he is also working for the BBC for this tournament.

Shearer is often at the games, especially in New York, and so when they cut to him, there’s a sense of the atmosphere in the stadium itself. Richards is primarily in Salford, UK, because the BBC barely traveled to America, Canada, or Mexico. So Richards spends much of the tournament appearing on a TV screen, sometimes bringing fellow pundit and former Manchester City teammate Joe Hart.

Also joining The Rest is Football for the tournament are two roving reporters. Alex Aljoe is a co-host on the sister podcast The Rest is Football: LaLiga, but she’s also a reporter for ESPN, Amazon Prime, and many other broadcasters. Aljoe is fluent in multiple languages and is constantly jet-setting, spending time with the fans of other national teams.

Rob Jones is an England reporter, following the national team around the continent. He’s actually inside the England squad, interacting with the players and the press corps and even interviewing some of the stars. These two additions provide outside voices and glimpses into the World Cup from various locations, as opposed to just from inside the East Coast studio.

With Shearer and Richards not always in the studio, there is an ever-changing selection of celebrity guests helping Lineker. The variety is incredibly impressive, especially considering the daily structure of the content. There is an incredibly impressive selection of football pundits popping into the studio. England legend Joe Cole appears as a regular guest for the first couple of weeks. Frank Lampard is not only an iconic footballer, but is the current manager of Coventry City.

Harry Maguire is an active player for Manchester United, has played for England at international tournaments and under their manager, Thomas Tuchel. He was actually expecting to play in this campaign, but wasn’t selected. The first conversation he has on the couch alongside Lineker, Shearer and Cole is one of the most revealing pieces of dialogue within the show. He’s very honest about how hurt he is, how much he thinks he should have gone.

The guests that The Rest Is Football featured experience but also humor.

There are also multiple visits from former greats of the game, including Juan Mata, Brad Friedel, Ally McCoist, Patrick Viera, Mikel Jon Obi and more. Most of the guests seem not just happy to be there, but comfortable. They laugh, joke and join in with the banter. It makes The Rest is Football more than just a studio football show. Opinion is more important than analysis.

The Netflix show also brings in a host of celebrities who aren’t footballers, ranging across the mediums. Comedy, music and entertainment are all represented. Prominent actors Christopher Ecclestone and Asa Butterfield make appearances, but so do musicians such as Niall Horan and Aitch.

TV personalities Gordon Ramsay and Maya Jama, comedians Mo Gilligan and Michael McIntyre, and figures from other sports such as Eddie Hearn and Luke Littler are all further examples of the guests. It’s a welcome surprise when these guests appear, and they also don’t detract from the conversations at all.

Many of these celebrities are football fans, so are ready to talk about the matches whilst also discussing their own careers. The setting of The Rest is Football, and the charisma of the hosts lets those who join feel comfortable. Because they aren’t solely there to talk about themselves, there’s a general topic at hand. They feel like a part of the conversation rather than a feature point.

Perhaps the guest who struggled the most is Littler, but that is because he just never seems comfortable on camera. He’s a generationally talented darts player, but he just doesn’t seem to like being interviewed. Hearn is another who feels out of place, outwardly admitting to not really enjoying or knowing much about football.

There are a few downsides to The Rest is Football. For one, there is a British-centric attitude to most of the show. It’s understandable, considering the podcast was born out of the Premier League and the British broadcasters. But even the celebrities booked are more well-known in the United Kingdom, and virtually unknown in the United States. Viera, Mata, Friedel, and other pundits are used to try and offer more opinions from international voices, but there is still an overwhelming Britishness.

This can lead to some uncomfortable moments when they talk about other national teams. Perhaps the segment that seemed most glaring was when Japan lost to Brazil. When Lineker, Cole, and the US Women’s National Team talked about the personalities of the Japanese players and how they should act, there were some cringeworthy stereotypes. And the darts minigame that every new guest participates in at the end of the episodes became something to be skipped as the tournament progressed.

As the production goes, the Netflix budget shows in the technical quality. The camera movements and the lighting are slick and impressive. In fact, the light created by those famous screens in Times Square bleeds into the studio, helping to soften the reality that they are actually on location.

The Rest is Football was the perfect companion for the World Cup.

Lineker and the rest of the cast almost always began in the kitchen, and then used Aljoe or Jones to provide an opportunity for them to move to a more lounge set. Most of the time, this is brilliantly accomplished, but there are times when that movement can seem awkward.

And it should be said that the audio podcast itself, which The Rest is Football prided itself on at the start, really suffers from the temporary move to Netflix. Not every episode of the livestream is adapted, and because the mics are set up for a more televisual placement, it doesn’t sound right if you’re trying to listen to the podcast whilst going out.

The Rest is Football is a groundbreaking adaptation. As a companion piece to this World Cup, it’s one of the best around. The budget and the personalities gave it a pull that none of the broadcasters could match. It felt like so many of the guests, especially the pundits and ex-footballers, were popping in to hang out before jet-setting off to work for the BBC, ITV or another company. The contractual walls aren’t as solid as the more prominent networks.

Lineker, Shearer, Richards and their guests made the show funny, enjoyable and fresh. The energy of the podcast is translated well. But it has to be said, when you have panning crane shots and a massive studio, it can’t be called a podcast. That term should really be more exclusive, especially towards the audio format that helped launch it.

The Rest is Football is available on Netflix.