Presenting trio to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief

Published: January 15 2025 | 17:30

Presenting trio to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day

Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan are named as the new presenters of Match of the Day from next season.

The BBC has named a trio of main presenters to take over from Gary Lineker on Match of the Day from next season.

Last year Lineker, 65, announced that the current season will be his last presiding over the football highlights show, bringing to an end a role that he will have held for a record 26 years.

Speculation over his successor has been rife for some time but now the BBC has decided to replace him with three hosts - Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.

The triumvirate will take turns hosting across Match of the Day, Match of the Day 2 and the new Match of the Day Champions League programme starting from next season.

They will be joined by faces from across the BBC's football team, including Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Jason Mohammad, Kelly Somers, John Murray and Steve Crossman.

"It's always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history," said Logan, who also leads the BBC's athletics and rugby coverage. "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."

Cates, who will continue with her presenting role on Sky Sports alongside MOTD, 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."

Despite stepping down from MOTD, Lineker will remain with the BBC for the foreseeable future and will lead coverage of the FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup in North America.