Gabby Logan had private talks with Match of the Day co-hosts that shows their true character

Gabby Logan has opened up about the mutual respect she shares with co-presenters Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman as they figure out how their shared hosting duties on Match of the Day will function.

The BBC programme will be without host Gary Lineker for the first time in 25 years next season, following his announcement to depart last November. After much speculation about who would fill Lineker's shoes, it was unveiled that Logan, Cates, and Chapman would take turns at the helm starting this August.

With only a few months left until the broadcasting trio take over the football highlights show, Logan - a BBC veteran since 2007 - confessed that she had discussed with her two co-hosts how they would juggle their MOTD responsibilities alongside their other commitments.

In addition to his forthcoming role for the 2025/26 season, Chapman is BBC Sports' main rugby league presenter, 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 BBC Sport's primary presenters, having hosted the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 2022 World Cup and the Sports Personality of the Year award.

During her chat on Kate Thornton's podcast, White Wine Question Time, Logan revealed that the discussions with Chapman and Cates about sharing the MOTD role were positive, as they all showed mutual respect for each other's commitments outside of the show, reports the Mirror.

"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 broadcaster.

"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."

Logan reassured fans on the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast that despite Lineker's exit, the essence of the show will remain unchanged: "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."