Gary Lineker has revealed that he believes the BBC wanted him to step down from Match of the Day (MOTD) after over two decades of hosting, adding that while he didn’t regret his controversial tweet from 2023, he didn’t like the “damage” it caused to the corporation.
The 64-year-old ex-footballer confirmed that he would be leaving the BBC after covering the 2026 World Cup, which will be held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Lineker, who has been the face of Match of the Day since 1999, admitted that it was “time” for him to leave the long-running highlights programme. However, he suggested that the BBC might have been keen for him to depart earlier.
“I’ve done it for a long time, it’s been brilliant, it’s been great… Well, perhaps they want me to leave,” Lineker told the BBC’s Amol Rajan. “There was a sense of that. I always wanted one more contract. It was their preference that I didn’t do Match of the Day for one more year so they could bring in new people, so it’s slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but, to be honest, it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.”
The veteran presenter’s departure will pave the way for a trio of new hosts – Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan – to take over the iconic football show.
Lineker’s exit follows the controversy sparked by a tweet he posted in March 2023. The former England striker compared the UK government’s asylum policy to the actions of 1930s Germany, a comment that led to him being temporarily taken off air. His suspension caused a storm, with several BBC sports journalists and presenters walking out in solidarity. Lineker eventually returned to his hosting duties, but the fallout from the incident has left a lasting mark.
Despite the controversy, Lineker remains unapologetic about his tweet. “I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate,” he said. “So not at all in that sense. Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No, I wouldn’t, because of all the nonsense that came with it… It was a ridiculous overreaction that was just a reply to someone that was being very rude. And I wasn’t particularly rude back.”
He added that while he wouldn’t have sent the tweet had he known the chaos it would cause, he still stood by the message. “I love the BBC, and I didn’t like the damage that it did to the BBC… But do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No.”
The backlash led to the BBC introducing new guidelines for its high-profile presenters, including a ban on making direct attacks on political parties. Lineker himself ruled out any aspirations for a political career, joking that he had “never had a view” on such matters before laughing.
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Looking ahead, Lineker said he planned to focus on his podcast ventures, a world that has proven to be an exciting new chapter in his career. His company, Goalhanger Podcasts, founded in 2019, has produced popular shows such as The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Entertainment, and The Rest Is Football, which he co-hosts with fellow MOTD pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
Despite stepping down from MOTD, Lineker will continue to be a prominent figure in BBC Sport’s coverage, hosting the FA Cup for the 2025-26 season. He will also maintain his involvement with the Match of the Day Top Ten podcast and The Rest Is Football podcast, which will be available on BBC Sounds.
Lineker’s departure comes after a long tenure as the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent, a title he has held for seven consecutive years. His earnings for the year 2023/24 were reported to be £1.35 million, according to the BBC’s annual report.
Though his time on Match of the Day is drawing to a close, Gary Lineker’s legacy at the BBC and in the world of football broadcasting remains firmly entrenched.
