BBC confirm new Match of the Day presenters ahead of Gary Lineker exit
The new Match of the Day presenter line-up has been confirmed for next season.
It was announced in November that Gary Lineker would be stepping down at the end of the current season, calling time on 26 years in the job. It ended months of speculation over his future at the BBC, though he will be staying on to front coverage of the 2026 World Cup.
Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share responsibilities across Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 and Match of the Day Champions League.
Current punditry team Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Jason Mohammad, Kelly Somers, John Murray and Steve Crossman will continue to support the trio of presenters.
Both Logan and Chapman already have experience presenting BBC’s flagship Premier League highlights show, while Cates will juggle her current Sky Sports responsibilities to take up the role.
Cates said: “Once I sit in that chair and the theme music starts, I just know that’s going to be a really incredible moment. I’ve worked with a lot of the pundits before and they’re all fantastic, so I’m just looking forward to getting started.
“I’ve known Gabby and Mark really well for years so to bring it all together, embracing the digital side of things, it feels like a really comprehensive football package for fans and that’s what makes it so exciting too.”
Logan said: "It’s always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history. It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TVs changed so much.
“There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day. People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”
Chapman said: “I know the history of a lot of radio programmes and TV programmes and I do feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of the people that we are following in and respectful of what they have done.”
