It has been announced that Gary Lineker will be stepping down from his role as host of popular football programme Match of the Day (MOTD). The Saturday night show, which shares highlights and analysis of all the key moments from Premier League matches taking place on the same day, will have a new presenter from the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Gary Lineker will continue to work with the BBC after leaving this role. He will lead coverage of the 2026 World Cup, which is taking place in the USA, Canada and Mexico and he will also continue to host the FA Cup matches taking place on BBC.
He is not the first big name of the show to recently depart, as the end of the 2023/24 Premier League season saw popular pundit and former Arsenal and Crystal Palace star Ian Wright leave Match of the Day. Gary Lineker also departing will be a major setback for Match of the Day.
Next Permanent Match of the Day Presenter Betting Odds
It’s not a surprise that the betting odds for the next Match of the Day presenter have already started to reveal some heavy favourites, with most already having links to Match of the Day or to other BBC Sport shows. The early favourite to replace Gary Lineker on MOTD is Mark Chapman, and he continues to head the latest betting, despite support for Alex Scott too. The British television and radio sports presenter is already the host of Match of the Day 2, which is on TV on Sunday evenings. He has regularly stood in to present Match of the Day when called upon as well.
| MOTD Presenters | Odds | Implied Probability |
| Mark Chapman | 6/4 | 40% |
| Alex Scott | 3/1 | 25% |
| Kelly Cates | 11/2 | 16% |
| David Jones | 10/1 | 9% |
| Gabby Logan | 14/1 | 7% |
| Kelly Somers | 16/1 | 6% |
| Eilidh Barbour | 20/1 | 5% |
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Kelly Cates and Alex Scott also tipped for Match of the Day role
Another leading contender to present Match of the Day is Kelly Cates (11/2), who currently works for Sky Sports and BBC Radio 5 Live. Kelly Cates is best known for her role on shows like Friday Night Football, where she normally works alongside pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville. Her father is Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and she has previously been one of the main hosts on Sky Sports News. Kelly Cates has also covered major football events like the World Cup and European Championships.
As well as Kelly Cates, well-known pundit and sports presenter Alex Scott has also been tipped for the role.
Who is Alex Scott?
Former Arsenal and England footballer Alex Scott (3/1) has proved one of the most popular options since the Match of the Day presenter betting was first published. Scott made 140 appearances for the England Lionesses and over 200 appearances at club level, with the defender having 3 separate spells at Arsenal during her playing career. She also has experience presenting on BBC as she has hosted, or been a pundit, on various sports shows over the years. Some of her shows include Football Focus and coverage during FA Cup matches which are on BBC, whilst she also features regularly in Soccer Aid.
It appears these credentials may be exactly what the BBC are looking for if the latest odds are anything to go by, with Scott shortening from 9/2 to 3/1 in recent days.
Another favourite for the Match of the Day role is sports presenter Gabby Logan. She has worked with the BBC for many years. Some of her former work includes hosting Final Score for BBC Sport from 2009 until 2013. She has also co-hosted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
How long has Gary Lineker presented Match of the Day for?
Gary Lineker has been the presenter of Match of the Year for decades and will be seen as the face of the show to many who watch it on BBC. Gary Lineker has been host of MOTD since 1999, and took over from Des Lynam at the time. This means he will have presented Match of the Day for more than 25 years by the time he leaves the show.
The former Spurs and England footballer has provided us with many funny moments over the years, including appearing in the show in just his underwear after promising to do so if Leicester City won the Premier League.
Whoever follows Gary Lineker will no doubt have a hard time to start with as they try to replace a very popular presenter, but all those currently in the running have shown that they definitely have the qualities to excel as presenter of Match of the Day if they are given the job.
