The first Match of the Day lineup since Gary Lineker’s departure has been revealed, according to reports.
Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates will begin hosting duties on the BBC’s flagship football show this weekend as the new Premier League season kicks off with reigning champions Liverpool against Bournemouth on Friday.
It marks a new direction for the programme after Lineker, who was the mainstay presenter for 26 years on Match of the Day, waved farewell after being axed by the BBC in May over a social media post he shared which ignited an antisemitism row.
Only one of the three presenters will take part in Saturday’s season curtain-raiser, given the trio have agreed to share hosting responsibilities throughout the campaign.
According to the Telegraph, Chapman will host the show and be joined by pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney.
Cates, meanwhile, is scheduled to host the BBC’s coverage of European football next week.
The first Match of the Day lineup for the upcoming Premier League season has been revealed
The football show is entering a new chapter following the exit of Gary Lineker after 26 years
Mark Chapman will host the first show, sharing duties with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan
Shearer was a regular fixture on Match of the Day during the latter stages of Lineker’s 26-year stint and continues to work with his former England team-mate on various podcasts including The Rest is Football.
Rooney is set to sit alongside Shearer on the maiden Match of the Day for the 2025-26 season, having signed a new deal with the Beeb as he awaits the next opportunity in his managerial career.
The England legend has yet to return to management since being sacked by Plymouth in 2024, which came after disappointing spells at DC United and Birmingham City.
Ahead of the first show, the new Match of the Day hosts replacing Lineker have promised not to post about controversial issues on social media.
Prior to his Match of the Day departure, the 64-year-old presenter shared an Instagram story about Zionism featuring a rat – a symbol used by the Nazis to characterise Jews as vermin.
Lineker, who apoligised, deleted the post and admitted his departure from Match of the Day was the ‘responsible course of action’ back in May, left without a payoff from his £1.4million-a-year salary.
The antisemitism row is understood to have been the final straw for BBC bosses after Lineker made a habit of posting about a range of controversial issues, from the war in Gaza to the government’s immigration policy.
Chapman, Logan and Cates have vowed to steer clear of posting about controversial topics, keeping in line with the BBC’s social media guidelines.
Legendary England strikers Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney will make up the punditry panel
Logan, Chapman and Cates have vowed to steer clear of posting about controversial topics
Logan told Radio Times: ‘I’ve been conducting myself on social media while working at the BBC for nearly two decades.
‘The broadcaster is probably under the most scrutiny of any in the country because of the way it’s funded and because it’s accountable to the public. That’s how it should be. We strive to have the highest standards. Hopefully, we’ll just get on with our jobs.’
Cates added: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever really weighed in that much on anything that isn’t either about football or something quite silly. That’s not how I’ve ever used social media.
‘It helps that we’re all really different from Gary, in that he goes in with a profile of his own as an England legend. It’s a very different career path. An ex-player taking over would be a more direct comparison.’
Meanwhile, Chapman is not active at all on social media.
