Private talks revealed between Match of the Day’s new co-hosts who are replacing Gary Lineker

The mutual respect that exists between Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman was obvious when the BBC presenter shared their conversations as they prepare to take over Match of the Day.

The BBC programme will be without its long-time host Gary Lineker for the first time in 25 years, following his announcement to depart last November. It was later confirmed that Logan, Cates, and Chapman would jointly take on the hosting responsibilities from this August.

With only a few months left until the trio takes charge of the football highlights show, Logan, who has been with the BBC since 2007, confessed that she had discussions with her fellow hosts about how they would manage their MOTD duties alongside their other sporting commitments.

In addition to his new role for the 2025/26 season, Chapman is also the chief rugby league presenter for BBC Sports, the host of MOTD 2, and of BBC 5 Live's Sports Report, which holds the record for being the world's longest-running sports radio programme. Cates is a regular host of live Premier League football on Sky Sports, while Logan is one of the main presenters for BBC Sport, having hosted the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 2022 World Cup, and the Sports Personality of the Year award since 2013.

Logan opened up about her new role on Match of the Day, revealing that discussions with fellow presenters Chapman and Cates were incredibly positive. Speaking on Kate Thornton's podcast, White Wine Question Time, she expressed her comfort with the idea of a shared position.

"We had a kind of chat about this being potentially a job that could be shared and that made me feel so much more comfortable and happy with the decision, actually, because it's a lot and we all have great passions in other areas," said the 51-year-old.

Logan, who is also passionate about covering rugby and the Olympics, emphasised the importance of balance: "Mark would never want to give up his radio. And I love doing the rugby, but I also love doing things like the Olympics.

"And if you do football, it's a lot of the year. So if you're going to carry on doing the other things, you're not going to have any time off. So I wanted to be able to keep doing the other sports that I love. So that felt like a perfect balance between us."

Despite changes, including Lineker's departure, Logan reassured fans on the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast that the essence of Match of the Day will remain intact, reports the Mirror.

She added: "Nobody wants to throw the baby out with the bath water. It's a football highlights show, we've got the same kind of pundits... and it's all about the football."