Mark Chapman will host the first Match of the Day of the 2025/26 Premier League season after Gary Lineker’s departure.
The former England striker hosted his final episode on the last day of the 2024/25 campaign and signed off with an emotional goodbye.
Lineker took the job in 1999 and presided over it for 26 years, but the BBC has announced there will be three replacements for him.
Chapman is one, with Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates the other two.
But according to the PA Agency, it will be Match of the Day Two host Chapman who takes the first MOTD of the season on Saturday.
Logan is set to be in the hotseat for Match of the Day Two on Sunday and Cates will headlines the midweek Champions League show, which will also contain a look ahead to the weekend’s top-flight action.
Lineker was set to stay at the BBC until after the 2026 World Cup, but he has stepped away from all involvement in the organisation.
This came after an apology for sharing an antisemitic post on social media.
He is, though, now set to be back on our screens soon.
The former England forward has been lined up by ITV to host their new show The Box, which will involve various celebrities taking part in challenges inside a box.
Meanwhile, Match of the Day will enter into a new era, starting on Saturday, though a familiar face will be leading the coverage.
Mark Chapman
‘Chappers’ has been with the BBC since 1996 when he joined as a continuity announcer before progressing to sports as the cricket correspondent for BBC Look North.
He then joined 5 Live in 2010 and became the stand-in presenter for Final Score and Match of the Day 2 from 2009-13.
Once Colin Murray left, the 51-year-old was promoted to be the full-time host for Match of the Day 2, and he has kept the role since.
He has also worked on the BBC’s coverage of the Olympics and NFL, while in 2022, he joined Sky Sports to become their host for Carabao Cup coverage.
Gabby Logan
Logan started her career in local radio in the north east, working for Metro Radio before being offered a role at ITV.
At the time, she was one of a small number of female sports TV presenters and hosted the company’s Champions League coverage, while away from sports, she co-hosted ‘Splash’ with Vernon Kay and Tom Daley.
She joined the BBC in 2007 to present FA Cup coverage and host Final Score, while she has been heavily involved in major international tournaments for men and women’s football.
Logan expanded her portfolio of sports to rugby and athletics, and she is the lead in both, hosting at the Olympics since 2008.
She has also deputised for Lineker on many occasions and will be part of the team rotating to replace the England striker.
Kelly Cates
Cates is the eldest daughter of Sir Kenny Dalglish and was one of Sky Sports’ first-ever presenters in 1998.
She also had a spell at talkSPORT, hosting from 7-10 pm every Mobday with Jason Cundy.
But her main work has been in TV with Setanta Sports and ESPN before rejoining Sky in 2016.
The 49-year-old was a regular host of Friday Night Football and Super Sunday before it was announced in January 2025 that she would be joining the BBC.
