Who is Mark Chapman? The favourite to replace Gary Lineker as Match of the Day host

Mark Chapman is the frontrunner to replace Gary Lineker as host of Match of the Day when the former England striker steps down at the end of this season.

The BBC have confirmed that Lineker will leave its flagship highlights programme next summer, more than 25 years after he replaced Des Lynam as host.

Lineker will stay on to cover live action at the 2026 World Cup, but will no longer be a weekly fixture on Saturday night television screens.

Several names have been linked to the post, including former England international Alex Scott and Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates, but Chapman - renowned as one of the most versatile broadcasters in the industry - is favourite.

Here’s all you need to know about him…

Unlike Lineker, Chapman comes from a media rather than sporting background, having joined the BBC as a continuity announcer all the way back in 1996.

He then moved into local radio work as a cricket correspondent in the north-east, before joining Radio 1 as a Newsbeat sports reporter.

Over the past two decades, Chapman has steadily expanded his work across both radio and television, presenting on many of the BBC’s most well-known shows, including Final Score and 5Live’s long-running Monday Night Club.

Since Colin Murray stepped down in 2013, Chapman has been the regular host of Match of the Day 2 and more recently has fronted Sky Sports’ live coverage of the Carabao Cup.

Away from football, the 51-year-old is known for his work in a huge variety of sports, including NFL, cricket, rugby league and golf. He also worked on the BBC’s coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

Earlier this year, he was unveiled as co-host of Global’s new Sports Agents podcast alongside fellow BBC presenter Gabby Logan, a spin-off of the popular News Agents edition fronted by Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis.

He has been named Presenter of the Year at the Sports Journalists’ Association awards on three occasions, including in each of the past two years.

In 2020, Chapman briefly stepped away from his work after his wife, Sara, sadly died of cancer, with colleagues across the industry paying tribute.

The following year, he became Chair of the Board at Manchester Originals, one of the Hundred’s eight teams, and is also a non-executive director at non-league Altrincham FC.