Gary Lineker will stop presenting Match of the Day at the end of the season after 26 years, the BBC has confirmed, amid accusations of frayed relations with his boss.
He is also reported to be leaving the BBC entirely after presenting the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, as well as coverage of the 2025-26 FA Cup, according to the sun.
Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter with a reported salary of around £1.35m and his departure will close a long and controversial chapter for one of the country’s most iconic programmes.
BBC sports director Alex Kay-Jelski is “not exactly close” to Lineker and is keen to cut costs and give the program a facelift, a source told The Sun. The decision to part ways with him comes after six weeks of talks.
Lineker’s time as the face of Match of the Day has been divisive at times, with the presenter temporarily suspended last year for criticizing the government’s asylum policy in a controversially worded tweet.
Gary Lineker will reportedly stop presenting match of the day at the end of the season.
The former England striker began presenting the iconic highlights show in 1999.
“Broadcaster Gary Lineker will step down as presenter of flagship football show Match of the Day at the end of this season, BBC News understands,” the BBC wrote on Monday night.
He returned shortly after a walkout by his MOTD colleagues who showed solidarity with the former England striker, and the row even prompted the Beeb to review and draw up a new set of guidelines for its presenters and their use of social media.
It has been difficult for the BBC to keep tabs on him when he hosts his popular podcast, The Rest Is Football, alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
During Euro 2024, he called England’s performance against Denmark “bullshit”, prompting a retaliation from Harry Kane, who attacked attacks from pundits who knew what “wearing the shirt” was.
That shocking jock tone got him into trouble and contrasts starkly with the more composed and cerebral style championed by Match of the Day.
Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan have previously been touted as the favorites to replace the former England striker.
His contract with the BBC ends at the end of this season but he has been granted an 18-month extension. However, that will not include Match of the Day presenting duties.
Lineker’s future has been the subject of speculation for some time, especially after Mail Sport revealed an email in October purporting to announce his imminent departure.
Arguably his most iconic moment on the show came when he was introduced in his underwear in August 2016 after Leicester City won the Premier League title.
In October, Mail Sport revealed an email purportedly from BBC sporting director Kay-Jelski which included a statement announcing his imminent departure from the programme.
That email, which suggested that a show earlier this season would be the last, which has not been the case, also included comments from general manager Tim Davie, who praised an “amazing” season and described Lineker as a “host world class.”
A source told The Sun: “Gary absolutely loves Match of the Day and has been incredibly happy at the BBC.
“But he has been at the helm since 1999 and when he leaves he will have been at the Beeb for 30 years.
“It’s one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets that new BBC sports director Alex Kay-Jelski and Gary aren’t exactly close. The former is keen to make his mark by bringing in new faces and cutting wage bills.
‘Negotiations have been ongoing for the last six weeks and an agreement has finally been reached that we are all happy with.
‘Gary will be 65 when he leaves; Frankly, he’s not getting any younger. and he simply feels the time is right to focus solely on his mogul interests outside the BBC, namely his Goalhanger podcasting business, which is becoming huge in the US.
“Meanwhile, BBC executives will restart Match of the Day to keep it fresh after such a big match.”
A source told the Sun that Lineker will focus on his Goalhanger podcasting empire after leaving it.
He mocked the email discovered in October and opened the first show afterwards by saying: ‘Hello. Seven games to go and it’s my last show… before the international break.’
That was a more measured response than the one he gave when MailOnline approached him directly outside his house: “Fuck you, I won’t talk to you.” Go.’
The 63-year-old presenter had reportedly been linked with jobs at rival broadcasters and, before his departure, under a cloud, Jermaine Jenas was being lined up to replace the former England captain.
Reports in late September suggested Lineker would hold talks with the BBC this month over a multi-year deal after voluntarily offering to take a pay cut.
Lineker began his career as a BBC pundit on 5 Live and Grandstand before taking on the role of Match of the Day presenter in 1999.
He has also presented Sports Personality of the Year, London 2012 and Golf for the corporation.
It has only been a couple of months since Lineker suggested he would have “at least another year” at the helm of the BBC’s long-running football programme, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in August.
He opened up about his future when asked how long he would continue presenting, and responded: ‘I don’t know… it depends on how long they want me, I guess.’
Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan have previously been touted as among the favorites to succeed him when he leaves.
Former Leicester City striker Lineker was delighted when his beloved team won the top flight.
Interviewed by BBC Breakfast’s John Watson in August, he said: “I mean, I love doing it at the moment (and) I’ve got another year doing it, at least.”
‘We’ll have to wait and see what happens. It’s an ever-changing party, football, television, soccer, Premier League rights and things like that, so all of these things will play a part.
‘But I feel like it’s been a privilege to present it for 25 years. I must be getting old.’
Elsewhere in the interview, the BBC’s highest-paid star also explained why the show meant so much to him.
“It’s been a part of my life, a big part of my life from the beginning,” he explained. ‘I watched it when I was a kid, it was the only night my dad let me stay up to watch Match of the Day.
“Because a lot of the population doesn’t have Sky or TNT or any of these streaming channels that show football and the Premier League, I think about half the population gets their Premier League fix from Match of the Day and still “He has it.”
He was also asked why he thinks the BBC show continues to attract viewers, to which he replied: “I think part of that is that it’s trustworthy.”
‘The longevity of the show, the love for the show. I think people like to look at it that way, they like to see the highlights. “They like getting their dose of the Premier League from us and hopefully this continues.”
Lineker got into trouble when he called England ‘shit’ during Euro 2024
Lineker’s place as the Beeb’s highest-paid talent is as much a talking point among critics as his social media antics, and was something his MOTD predecessor Des Lynam recently called “unjustifiable”.
After leaving football, Lineker’s presenting career began at the BBC, where he presented MOTD, as well as working for Al Jazeera Sports and NBC Sports Network.
With a total net worth of £30 million, he is one of the UK’s most notable sporting figures and consistently performs at major tournaments including the Euros and World Cup.
Throughout his stellar football career, he played for England 80 times and scored 49 goals before retiring in 1994 to enter the media world.
As well as presenting, he signed a three-year deal worth £1.2 million with Walkers Crisps in 2020 and established his own podcast production company Goalhanger, which produces podcasts including The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics.
His BBC salary has been reduced since 2019, when he earned 1.75 million, and he took a voluntary 23 percent pay cut in 2020.
Goalhanger claims to be the UK’s largest independent podcast group.
It was founded by Lineker, along with Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport.
Lineker will continue to present the BBC’s FA Cup coverage for the 2025-26 season, as well as fronting the 2026 World Cup broadcast.
Chapman and Logan have been seen as the favorites to take his place.
Given that Mark Chapman presents Match of the Day 2, and that he and Logan present the BBC’s new Champions League highlights programme, it’s no surprise that their names were at the top of the league tables. betting houses in October.
MOTD expert Micah Richards Alex Scott, the current Football Focus presenter, was also mentioned high up.
Further down the list were Dion Dublin, Clare Balding, Jason Mohammad, Colin Murray, Eni Aluko, Alan Shearer, Kelly Cates and Eilidh Barbour.