Gary Lineker Match of the Day replacements named as BBC release statement

BBC’s Match of the Day will be hosted by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan next season, it has been announced.

Gary Lineker, who has worked as a presenter on the highlights programme since 1999, is stepping down as host of the Saturday night show at the end of the season. The former England striker will continue to front the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage and will bow out from the broadcaster at the conclusion of its coverage of the 2026 men’s World Cup finals.

Cates has been a main presenter with Sky since 2017 and already works for the BBC as a radio presenter, fronting Radio 5 Live’s Tuesday night sports coverage. She has worked on its tournament coverage since 2016. Logan, a former gymnast, has presented Match of the Day in Lineker’s absence and has become one of the main presenters of the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage.

Chapman is the current regular host of the Sunday night highlights programme Match of the Day 2 and also presents a number of sports programmes on BBC Radio 5 Live.

BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski said in a statement: "I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season. They're brilliant at what they do and MOTD viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed.

"Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 25 years, he'll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football's greatest tournaments. Outside of Match of the Day we've got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025-26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year. It's a truly exciting time for BBC Sport's football coverage."