Gary Lineker to quit Match of the Day at the end of the season, and will leave BBC after next World Cup
Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC after the 2026 World Cup. The former England striker has presented Match of the Day since 1999 but will end this role at the end of the season. Gary Lineker is reportedly set to quit the BBC after the 2026 World CupGetty It’s since been confirmed by the corporation after The Sun broke the news that 63-year-old will leave the BBC completely following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. He will remain a part of their FA Cup coverage for the 2025/26 season, though, as part of an 18-month contract extension. His new deal takes Lineker’s tenure through to the next major international tournament in less than two years time. Meanwhile, he will have presented Match of the Day for 26 years by the time he steps down next summer. Lineker replaced Des Lynam in the role in 1999 after moving into punditry and presenting following his playing career. His BBC tenure has also included work for Radio 5 Live, They Think It’s All Over and Grandstand. Lineker also fronted the BBC’s Olympics coverage at the 2012 Games in London. He even had a brief stint as part of the broadcaster’s golf coverage, fronting live action from the Masters and The Open. Lineker’s exit comes just a month after he made a cheeky joke about his future on Match of the Day. After suggestions he would announce his departure sooner rather than later, he could not resist poking fun at the speculation. Lineker will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of the seasonGetty Opening the show, Lineker said: “Hello, seven games on the way and it’s my final show… before the international break.” His final show for real is now expected to come on the final day of the Premier League season on May 25. It remains to be seen who will succeed Lineker in the role but whoever does will have big shoes to fill, says Danny Murphy. Reacting to the news, BBC colleague Murphy said on talkSPORT’s Kick Off: “I didn’t know [he was leaving]. “I knew the contract was up at the end of the season. So there’s been a lot of talk about it. I am a little bit surprised. “I’ve got, you know, Gary’s a friend of mine and he’s been phenomenal to me since the day I walked in the building. And a warm, charismatic, intelligent man who knows his football and has become part of everybody’s furniture, if you like, on a Saturday evening. “I’ll just tell you quickly, I mean, from my first… I’d done a few shows and he was always great. “And in my first tournament, I was thrust into the World Cup in Brazil really quickly. Murphy gave a glowing review of Lineker “And it was quite daunting as Alan Hansen was there, Alan Shearer, you know, a lot of these people who I’d looked up to. And between Gary and Alan, and Gary especially was the first one to always, even if I wasn’t working on the same show as him, leave me a message saying, ‘we’re going to be eating here, we’re going to be in this bar, we’re going to be in this hotel. Come and meet us, get a cab to there, we’ll be there.’ “You know, all those type of little things that brought me in. And I’ll never forget how he treated me and how welcome he made me, how good he made me feel. “And just a very intelligent football man, loves his football. You know, him and his sons, they all love the football as well. And he’s doing so many good things. “He’s getting on a bit, just because he looks good for his age doesn’t mean he isn’t old. He’s getting tired in his old age, probably wants to just cook his Sunday roast.”
Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC after the 2026 World Cup.
The former England striker has presented Match of the Day since 1999 but will end this role at the end of the season.
It’s since been confirmed by the corporation after The Sun broke the news that 63-year-old will leave the BBC completely following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
He will remain a part of their FA Cup coverage for the 2025/26 season, though, as part of an 18-month contract extension.
His new deal takes Lineker’s tenure through to the next major international tournament in less than two years time.
Meanwhile, he will have presented Match of the Day for 26 years by the time he steps down next summer.
Lineker replaced Des Lynam in the role in 1999 after moving into punditry and presenting following his playing career.
His BBC tenure has also included work for Radio 5 Live, They Think It’s All Over and Grandstand.
Lineker also fronted the BBC’s Olympics coverage at the 2012 Games in London.
He even had a brief stint as part of the broadcaster’s golf coverage, fronting live action from the Masters and The Open.
Lineker’s exit comes just a month after he made a cheeky joke about his future on Match of the Day.
After suggestions he would announce his departure sooner rather than later, he could not resist poking fun at the speculation.
Opening the show, Lineker said: “Hello, seven games on the way and it’s my final show… before the international break.”
His final show for real is now expected to come on the final day of the Premier League season on May 25.
It remains to be seen who will succeed Lineker in the role but whoever does will have big shoes to fill, says Danny Murphy.
Reacting to the news, BBC colleague Murphy said on talkSPORT’s Kick Off: “I didn’t know [he was leaving].
“I knew the contract was up at the end of the season. So there’s been a lot of talk about it. I am a little bit surprised.
“I’ve got, you know, Gary’s a friend of mine and he’s been phenomenal to me since the day I walked in the building. And a warm, charismatic, intelligent man who knows his football and has become part of everybody’s furniture, if you like, on a Saturday evening.
“I’ll just tell you quickly, I mean, from my first… I’d done a few shows and he was always great.
“And in my first tournament, I was thrust into the World Cup in Brazil really quickly.
“And it was quite daunting as Alan Hansen was there, Alan Shearer, you know, a lot of these people who I’d looked up to. And between Gary and Alan, and Gary especially was the first one to always, even if I wasn’t working on the same show as him, leave me a message saying, ‘we’re going to be eating here, we’re going to be in this bar, we’re going to be in this hotel. Come and meet us, get a cab to there, we’ll be there.’
“You know, all those type of little things that brought me in. And I’ll never forget how he treated me and how welcome he made me, how good he made me feel.
“And just a very intelligent football man, loves his football. You know, him and his sons, they all love the football as well. And he’s doing so many good things.
“He’s getting on a bit, just because he looks good for his age doesn’t mean he isn’t old. He’s getting tired in his old age, probably wants to just cook his Sunday roast.”
