Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan have been announced as the three primary hosts for the BBC’s Match of the Day programme for next season.
Gary Lineker, who has worked as a presenter on the highlights programme since 1999, is stepping down as host of the Saturday night show at the end of the season.
The former England striker will continue to front the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage and will bow out from the broadcaster at the conclusion of its coverage of the 2026 men’s World Cup finals.
Cates has been a main presenter with Sky since 2017 and already works for the BBC as a radio presenter, fronting Radio 5 Live’s Tuesday night sports coverage. She has worked on its tournament coverage since 2016.
She will continue her role with Sky Sports, the BBC confirmed.
Logan, a former gymnast, has presented Match of the Day in Lineker’s absence and has become one of the main presenters of the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage.
Chapman is the current regular host of the Sunday night highlights programme Match of the Day 2 and also presents a number of sports programmes on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Logan said: “It’s always a real moment (to sit in the presenter’s chair) because it has such history. It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TV has 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 added: “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.”
New squad for next season! ✍️
We’re delighted to announce that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share Match of the Day presenting duties from 2025-26.#MOTD #BBCFootball #KellyCates #MarkChapman #GabbyLogan pic.twitter.com/r8hU5Owm8b
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 15, 2025
Chapman said: “I know the history of a lot of radio programmes and TV programmes and I do feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of the people that we are following in and respectful of what they have done.”
Cates, Logan and Chapman will share presenting duties for the three main Match of the Day programmes – the flagship Saturday night show, Match of the Day 2 on Sundays and the new Match of the Day Champions League highlights programme on Wednesday evenings.
There had been speculation that Alex Scott could be one of the three main presenters. She remains as part of a BBC football presenting and pundit team which also includes Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Jason Mohammad, Kelly Somers, John Murray and Steve Crossman.
BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski said: “I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season.
“They’re brilliant at what they do and Match of the Day viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed.
“Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 26 years, he’ll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football’s greatest tournaments.
“Outside of Match of the Day we’ve got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025/26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year.
“It’s a truly exciting time for BBC Sport’s football coverage.”
