BBC considering revolving cast of presenters to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day

Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, and Kelly Cates are believed to be the leading candidates.

Tue, 12 Nov, 2024 - 16:10

Cian Locke

Gary Lineker has announced that he will step down as host of Match Of The Day at the end of the season and it is believed the BBC are considering replacing him with a revolving cast of hosts.

The Telegraph are reporting that Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, and Kelly Cates are leading candidates for a team of presenters to rotate fronting the BBC One flagship football highlights show.

Chapman, who regularly hosts Match of the Day 2 on Sunday nights, had been tipped as the most likely to succeed to Lineker, but sources close to the presenter have said that he has concerns about taking on the job full-time due to his current gig with Radio 5 Live as well as his podcast work and covering the Carabao Cup on Sky Sports.

Football Focus host Alex Scott, and BBC sports coverage presenter Gabby Logan are also understood to be in the running to replace Lineker, who will continue to present coverage of the FA Cup in 2025/26 and the World Cup in 2026 for the English broadcaster.

The 63-year-old former England striker will also continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast while his The Rest Is Football podcast, which also features BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will now be hosted on BBC Sounds.

There will be one episode per week of The Rest is Football on BBC Sounds from next month, according to the PA News Agency.

Who could take over as Match of the Day host?