Gary Lineker quits Match of the Day! Date for presenter’s final BBC appearance revealed as ex-England star to step down after 25 years on flagship show

Lineker has hosted the BBC’s flagship football show MOTD since 1999 but his time on that programme will soon come to a momentous end. Lineker has agreed a contract extension with the BBC through to the next World Cup, but will reportedly take a substantial pay cut from his reported £1.3 million-a-year deal.

The BBC said in an official statement released on Tuesday: “The BBC and Gary Lineker have agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup.”

Lineker said of the new agreement: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”

Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, added: “Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup. After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”

Lineker was in the headlines in March 2023 after writing on X, formerly Twitter, that the language used by the Conservative government was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s” in regards to it’s asylum policy. He was briefly taken off air before returning to the BBC soon after.

It has also been confirmed that Lineker will continue to work on the MOTD Top Ten podcast and host the popular The Rest is Football podcast delivered by BBC Sounds. It remains to be seen what path the former England and Barcelona striker will take once his career with the BBC ends in 2026.