GARY LINEKER will step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of this season, the BBC has announced.

BBC News reports the 63-year-old, who has fronted the flagship football programme for 25 years, was open to staying on at MOTD but was not offered a new deal for the show.

Lineker will, however, remain with the broadcaster after both parties agreed in principle to a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup.

He will also host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season, continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also host The Rest is Football podcast, featuring Lineker, on BBC Sounds.

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

Director of BBC Sport Alex Kay-Jelski said: “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.”

Match of the Day remains a Saturday staple, attracting 33 million viewers last season across the Premier League and FA Cup.

Bookmakers’ favourites to replace the retired England forward include Mark Chapman, the regular Match Of The Day 2 presenter.

“Chappers” is also a key part of the BBC’s coverage of football on radio, presenting Sports Report on 5 Live and the Monday Night Club on the same channel.

Chapman fronts the Global podcast The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan, also one of the frontrunners to succeed Lineker.

The former gymnast has presented MOTD in Lineker’s absence on many occasions while she also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Euros in 2023.

Retired Lioness Alex Scott is also firmly in the mix to take over from Lineker after successfully transitioning to a broadcasting career following the conclusion of her playing career in 2017.

She has presented The One Show and has also worked alongside Lineker as a presenter of the BBC’s Sports Personality Of The Year programme.

Scott was a contestant on one of the corporation’s flagship entertainment shows, Strictly Come Dancing, in 2019 while more recently she has presented Football Focus.

A BBC statement said: “Future plans for Match of the Day will be announced in due course.”

Lineker took over as host of Match of the Day from Des Lynam in 1999, having started as a BBC Radio 5 Live presenter and also worked on Grandstand.

In March last year Lineker was briefly suspended from hosting the programme after his tweet about the British government’s asylum policy sparked a row about BBC presenters expressing political views on social media.

Lineker’s fellow presenters and pundits, including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, refused to appear on the show in solidarity with Lineker and it was reduced to a 20-minute highlights package, which contained no hosts, pundits or commentary. Lineker was reinstated just over a week later.

No stranger to headlines, the former Tottenham, Everton and Barcelona striker presented the programme in his underpants in 2016 to keep a promise after boyhood club Leicester won the Premier League.

However, speculation had been mounting over Lineker’s future as host since an interview with BBC Breakfast in August in which he said he looked forward to “another year doing it, at least.”