Streamer Netflix has reinforced its sports ambitions by striking a deal to bring Goalhanger’s popular podcast The Rest Is Football to the platform as a daily studio show throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer.
The hit podcast, fronted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards and boasting more than 7 million monthly streams, will relocate to a purpose-built studio “in the heart of New York” for the duration of the tournament. Episodes will drop every day, offering analysis, interviews, guest appearances and live check-ins from the England team’s camp and fan zones across North America.
“We can’t wait to bring The Rest Is Football to Netflix for the 2026 World Cup,” Lineker said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the three of us to do what we love — talk football every day — but on a truly global stage. Expect all the usual analysis, honesty and plenty of laughs… just with a few more cameras pointed at us, all from the Big Apple.”
The deal strengthens Netflix’s strategic push into sports-adjacent programming and video podcasting at a moment when the company is moving aggressively into football content. Although the streamer does not hold live-match rights for the men’s event — Fox controls them in the US, while BBC and ITV share coverage in the UK — Netflix recently secured future Women’s World Cup rights in multiple territories.
For Goalhanger, the production house behind The Rest Is Football and other ‘The Rest Is…’ franchises, the move marks its biggest on-screen expansion yet. The company will continue to distribute an audio version across podcast platforms during the World Cup, ensuring existing listeners aren’t excluded from the action.
The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, will be the largest in FIFA history, expanding to 48 teams and spanning 16 host cities from June 11 to July 19. The final will take place in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Podcast hosts: Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer
Photography credit: Garry Jones
