Mark Chapman will be first of new trio to host Match of the Day after Lineker

Kelly Cates due to host midweek highlights programme

Mon, 11 Aug, 2025 - 16:31

Mark Chapman will present the BBC’s first Match of the Day of the Premier League season on Saturday. Chapman is part of a three-person presenting lineup alongside Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, who will work on rotation this season after the departure of former lead presenter Gary Lineker.

It is understood Cates will host a programme on Wednesday of Uefa Super Cup highlights and a look ahead to the new Premier League season, while Logan will host Match of the Day’s Sunday night programme this week.

The BBC announced on 15 January that Cates, Chapman and Logan would be the new presenting team. It came after weeks of speculation about who would take over from Lineker when he said last year that he was stepping down. The 64-year-old had long intended the final Match of the Day of last season, on 26 May, to be his last, but he was planning to stay on to front the BBC’s live coverage of the FA Cup and 2026 World Cup.

However, he announced he was bringing forward his departure after a social media row when he shared a post relating to the Gaza conflict that contained an antisemitic symbol. Lineker, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and host of Match of the Day since 1999, apologised unreservedly for the post but said it was “best for all concerned” if he left completely.

Cates has been a presenter with Sky Sports since rejoining the broadcaster in 2016, fronting coverage of the Premier League. Chapman has been broadcasting for more than 25 years and has been a regular presenter of the BBC’s Sunday night Match of the Day.

Logan became one of the first female sports anchors to break into terrestrial television and has covered several Olympic Games, the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games during her time at the BBC. She presented Match of the Day in Lineker’s absence and was part of the BBC’s coverage of the past two Women’s Euros in 2022 and this summer.