Gary Lineker to leave BBC next week and will no longer host World Cup coverage in 2026
The presenter is to leave after this season’s final Match Of The Day and will no longer present its 2026 World Cup coverage, Sky News understands.
Sports correspondent @RobHarris
Monday 19 May 2025 08:23, UK
Gary Lineker is to leave the BBC after this season’s final Match Of The Day and will no longer present its coverage of the World Cup, Sky News understands.
It comes after he “apologised unreservedly” for sharing a social media post featuring a rat – used in propaganda by Nazi Germany to dehumanise Jewish people – and said he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic”.
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Lineker’s last appearance on the BBC will be on 25 May, the final day of the season, with confirmation expected on Monday.
The former England star announced in November he would step down from Match Of The Day this year, but was set to return to front the World Cup in 2026, as well as FA Cup coverage.
Lineker, 64, said he was unaware the post he shared was antisemitic and it went against “everything I believe in”.
In response to the presenter resharing the post, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said his “continued association with the BBC is untenable”.
The British group, said it had complained to the BBC about Lineker, and started a petition calling for his removal that gained over 10,000 signatures.
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A spokesperson for the CAA said on Monday: “Gary Lineker’s departure from the BBC was long overdue – this latest incident comes after years of us pointing out his descent.
“He became a symbol of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster: A man repeatedly allowed to flout the BBC’s own rules on impartiality, abusing his position to promote his increasingly propagandist politics, vilifying those he disagrees with, and even promoting dehumanising and extreme messages.
“At last the final whistle has been blown on his tenure at the BBC, and now it is time to ask how and why management allowed him to play on until now, foul after foul.”
When asked about Lineker last week, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “When someone makes a mistake, it costs the BBC reputationally.”
The presenter was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023 after an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the then Conservative government’s asylum policy.
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Lineker has hosted Match Of The Day since 1999 and has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years.
He also has a successful podcast production company.
Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan will take over the highlights show from next season.
When the trio take over as hosts, it will be the first time the role has been shared by three people.
Sky News has contacted the BBC for comment.
