Tifo Football by The Athletic
A panel of football analysts from The Athletic break down the tactics, history, and drama of the beautiful game with a distinctly British sense of humor.
This is a live, panel-based football analysis show, not a traditional interview podcast. A group of recurring hosts and guests from The Athletic's football desk dissect recent matches with a focus on tactics, tournament permutations, and manager performance. The discussions are filtered through a lens of established camaraderie and frequent in-jokes.
“The blend of serious, granular tactical discussion with irreverent humor, inside jokes (like the host's evolving nicknames), and recurring game segments like 'The Rondo' sets it apart from more formal sports analysis shows.”
Who hosts this show
Tifo Football provides in-depth tactical, historical, and geopolitical breakdowns of football. Founded in 2017, it became a part of the subscription-based sports media company The Athletic in 2020. The podcast, primarily hosted by Joe Devine, features a rotating panel of journalists and analysts from Tifo and The Athletic discussing recent matches and broader football topics.
Credentials & credits
- Host (Joe Devine)
- Managing Editor at The Athletic (Joe Devine)
- Creative Director of Tifo Football (Joe Devine)
- Co-creator of 'How to Watch Football' book
Other ventures
- Tifo Football YouTube Channel
- Tifo Sports YouTube Channel
- "How to Watch Football" (Book)
- Tifo IRL (YouTube Channel)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01England win group, Round of 32 look ahead! | Tifo Football Live!Jun 28, 2026 · 1h 15m
- 02France beat Norway, Scotland Misery & Who’s going to win it? | Tifo Football LiveJun 26, 2026 · 1h 09m
- 03Ecuador surprise Germany, Scotland disappoint and more England | Tifo Football Live!Jun 25, 2026 · 58 min
- 04England struggle against Ghana & Ronaldo scores! | Tifo Football Live!Jun 23, 2026 · 1h 06m
- 05
- 06How FIFA was corruptedJun 22, 2026 · 6 min
- 07
- 08Germany's last-minute winner and how Ancelotti fixed Brazil | Tifo Football Live!Jun 20, 2026 · 52 min
Notable episodes
- 01How FIFA was corrupted
A departure from the usual panel format, this is a short, scripted, illustrated video explaining the history of corruption within FIFA, showcasing the channel's documentary style.
- 02France beat Norway, Scotland Misery & Who’s going to win it? | Tifo Football Live
A typical example of the live panel format, featuring regulars JJ Bull and Kate Mason alongside comedian Sean Burke to discuss World Cup matches and play the 'Rondo' trivia game.
- 03England win group, Round of 32 look ahead! | Tifo Football Live!
Demonstrates the live watchalong and post-match analysis format, with a panel breaking down a specific game (England vs. Panama) and discussing future tournament possibilities.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a panel discussion show, not a guest interview format. Host Joe Devine facilitates conversation between a rotating group of 3-4 analysts. He introduces topics, directs specific questions to individuals to elicit their expertise, and keeps the conversation flowing, often injecting humor. There is no standard one-on-one interview structure; the format is a collaborative analysis.
The primary format is a multi-person panel discussion, not a one-on-one interview show. Host Joe Devine acts as a moderator, guiding a rotating cast of co-hosts and guests through match analyses. The show is characterized by its informal, banter-filled tone and includes signature game segments like trivia quizzes.
Signature segments
- · The Rondo (trivia game)
- · Pointsabad
- · Second-hand eBay challenge
- · Live watchalongs
- · Flute intro music
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically fellow football journalists and analysts, often from within The Athletic's own staff (like JJ Bull, Jon Mackenzie, and Kate Mason), alongside comedians and authors with a known passion for the sport.
- Kate Masonon France beat Norway, Scotland Misery & Who’s going to win it? | Tifo Football Live
- Sean Burkeon France beat Norway, Scotland Misery & Who’s going to win it? | Tifo Football Live
- Ryan Hunnon Ecuador surprise Germany, Scotland disappoint and more England | Tifo Football Live!
- Carl Ankaon England struggle against Ghana & Ronaldo scores! | Tifo Football Live!
- Seb Stafford-Blooron Messi breaks the record, Argentina are beatable & Egypt win their first World Cup game
- Musa Okwongaon Messi breaks the record, Argentina are beatable & Egypt win their first World Cup game
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is part of The Athletic, a subscription-based sports media company, which serves as its primary business model and is frequently promoted on the show. The show also mentions ad breaks within episodes.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the main host of the Tifo Football Podcast?
- The primary host is Joe Devine, who is also a Managing Editor at The Athletic and the Creative Director of Tifo.
- Is this an interview show?
- No, it is a panel discussion show. A rotating group of analysts and journalists join the host to break down recent football matches and news.
- What is the connection between Tifo Football and The Athletic?
- Tifo Football was acquired by and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. The podcast and videos are now produced under The Athletic's banner.
- What kind of topics are discussed?
- The show focuses on in-depth tactical analysis of matches, historical context, geopolitical issues in football, and tournament permutations.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on major platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and video versions are posted on the 'Tifo Football by The Athletic' YouTube channel.
- What is 'The Rondo'?
- 'The Rondo' is a recurring trivia game segment where the host and panelists test their football knowledge on a specific topic.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Tifo Football by The Athletic - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [02]Tifo Football Podcast - Acastplay.acast.com
- [03]Joe Devine's Podcast Credits - Podchaserpodchaser.com
- [04]AMA Announcement: Joe Devine and Alex Stewart of Tifo Football - Redditreddit.com
- [05]How To Watch Football - Penguin Bookspenguin.co.uk
- [06]Joe Devine Interview (2022): The Halcyon Showyoutube.com
- [07]THE TRUTH ABOUT TIFO FOOTBALL | JOE DEVINE | RETROSPECTIVE: MY JOURNEYyoutube.com
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