Gary Lineker breaks his silence on Match of the Day exit - what’s he said

• Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day next month.
• He departs the BBC show after more than a quarter of a century.
• But in an interview he has said he felt like the Beeb ‘wanted him to leave’.

Saturday nights on the BBC will be forever changed from next month as Gary Lineker prepares to leave Match of the Day. He has been the face of the show for more than 25 years but his last show is just weeks away.

The ex-England international and broadcasting stalwart is departing the football highlights show at the end of the current Premier League season. Gary will remain for the Beeb’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup.

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Ahead of his Match of the Day exit, Gary Lineker has opened up about it. Here’s what he had to say:

Gary Lineker ‘felt the BBC wanted him to leave’

The sports broadcaster sat down with the Beeb’s Amol Rajan for an interview in advance of his final Match of the Day show next month (May). He talked about the reasons for his exit.

Lineker said: “Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that."

He continued: "I always wanted one more contract, and I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to do three years [more].

"In the end, I think there was a feeling that, because it was a new rights period, it was a chance to change the programme. I think 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."

However he will remain as part of the BBC’s coverage for the FA Cup and will also front the Beeb’s team at the 2026 World Cup in America, Canada and Mexico. His football podcasts have been picked up by BBC Sounds as part of a separate deal with the corporation.

When does Gary Lineker leave Match of the Day?

He will depart the long-running football highlights show at the end of the current 2024/2025 Premier League season. The final day is set for Sunday May 25 - just over a month away.

From next season, Match of the Day will be fronted by a rotating team of three presenters. It includes Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.

The trio will front Match of the Day, Match of the Day 2 and Match of the Day: Champions League between them.

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