Gary Lineker is set to make a shock appearance for ITV as part of their 2026 World Cup coverage on Saturday.
The Independent understands the former Match Of The Day host will be an ITV pundit for the Group E clash between Germany and Ivory Coast. Coverage of the game will start at 8pm BST with kick-off in Toronto an hour later.
Netflix appeared to be Lineker’s home for this summer’s World Cup, who is believed to have paid an eye-watering £14m to house The Rest Is Football podcast, produced by his company Goalhanger Podcasts, during the tournament. Lineker has been hosting daily episodes alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer in the heart of New York City, recording in an apartment that overlooks Times Square.
But Lineker is not tied down to the streaming giant and will hop across East River to feature on ITV’s World Cup coverage, which directly rivals his former employers at the BBC.
ITV has been contacted for comment.
Lineker was due to see out his tenure with the BBC at this year’s tournament, presenting his seventh World Cup for the broadcaster with whom he was aligned with for 26 years.
However, the decision to cut ties entirely with the BBC was expedited in May last year, which followed significant criticism regarding his political commentary on social media, notably a controversial Instagram post concerning Zionism that featured a depiction of a rat, an image historically associated with antisemitic tropes.
The former England captain “apologised unreservedly” for the post but confirmed he was to quit the BBC after the conclusion of the 2024/25 season’s Match Of The Day, tearing up plans for him to front coverage of the following season’s FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup.
The 65-year-old, who left the BBC as their highest-earning on-air talent of all time, was not among those named on ITV’s list of pundits for the tournament, which included stalwarts such as Roy Keane and Ian Wright alongside newer faces like Juan Mata and Ange Postecoglou, but will shake things up by appearing for the broadcaster in a punditry capacity, rather than as a presenter.
It acts as the latest blow to the BBC, who has been criticised for presenting the World Cup from their MediaCity studios in Salford rather than on site in the United States, with ITV comparatively staging their coverage from a lavish set in Brooklyn that shows off the Manhattan skyline.
ITV also beat the BBC in the ratings following the first week of action, broadcasting four of the top five most-viewed games, including England’s 4-2 opening win over Croatia which drew in a peak audience of 15.4 million and averaged 10 million.
