Gary Lineker will step down from hosting the BBC’s Match of the Day at the end of the current football season, the broadcaster has confirmed.
The 63-year-old former England striker has presented the broadcaster’s flagship Premier League highlights show since 1999 and has been its highest-paid presenter in recent years.
Following reports overnight, the BBC confirmed this morning that Lineker will present its FA Cup coverage next season, before leaving the broadcaster after the 2026 World Cup.
Lineker said in a statement: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, says: “Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.
“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”
The BBC’s most recent figures put Lineker’s salary at around £1.35m in 2023-24.
Lineker had survived the previous most serious threat to his job, after the BBC briefly suspended him for criticising the Conservative government’s immigration policy on social media last year.
When fellow pundits, including Alan Shearer, refused to appear on MoTD in solidarity with Lineker, causing one edition to be heavily scaled back, BBC bosses swiftly reinstated him.
Candidates tipped to replace Lineker as Match of the Day presenter were placed on “red alert” in October when a leaked email suggested his time on the show could be coming to an end.
Jermaine Jenas, who was seen as Lineker’s natural successor, is out of the picture after being sacked by the BBC following complaints about his conduct.
Match of the Day 2 presenter Mark Chapman is now considered to be in pole position to take over the Saturday night show. Other contenders include Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, the former England Lioness.
Asked by i in October to respond to suggestions the BBC might be preparing to bring his reign to an end, representatives for Lineker replied with the words “Operation Shrimp”, accompanied by a flag of the Republic of Benin in West Africa.
Operation Shrimp was a failed 1977 coup attempt in Benin, when French mercenaries tried to remove Mathieu Kérékou, the African nation’s revolutionary communist party leader.
Lineker has recently found success with Goalhanger Podcasts, the company he founded in 2019, releasing podcasts such as The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Entertainment, and The Rest Is Football, which he co-hosts with Match Of The Day colleagues Shearer and Micah Richards.
As a footballer, Lineker is England’s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups, and also never received a yellow or red card during his career playing for clubs including Everton, Barcelona and Leicester City.
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