Gary Lineker to quit Match of the Day as Liverpool supporters learn exit date

Gary Lineker will step down as host of Match Of The Day at the end of the season. The 63-year-old has been anchoring the flagship football show since 1999 but will quit the role in May.

The former England striker is being tipped to sign a final 18-month extension with the BBC and will leave the corporation when it ends, after the 2026 World Cup. An official announcement is expected on Tuesday.

Lineker has been the face of the BBC’s football live broadcasts for more than two decades but there had been speculation he was considering his future. Lineker, who held discussions over a new deal in October, is the BBC’s highest-paid employee earning more than £1.3million a year.

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Asked earlier this year about his Match Of The Day hosting plans, Lineker said: "It depends how long they want me, I suppose," he said. "I love doing it at the moment; I've still got another year left, at least. So we'll have to wait and see what happens.

"just feel it's been an absolute privilege to have presented it for 25 years now. I must be getting old!"

Lineker presided over the iconic Premier League highlights show during Liverpool’s title success in the 2019/20 season and was the host when the Reds lifted the FA Cup live on the BBC in 2022.

Lineker hit the headlines in March 2023 when colleagues went on strike after the Leicester City legend was suspended for breaching impartiality guidelines in comments he made on X, formerly Twitter. It led to the bizarre episode in which no commentators or analysts were present, with only highlights broadcast.

Lineker has meanwhile become a podcast guru by hosting the popular Rest Is Football show, which has topped countless sports listener charts. He also hosts the annual BBC Sports Personality Of The Year awards in December.