Gary Lineker says it is the ‘right time’ for him to leave Match of the Day after 25 years hosting the show.
Lineker took over from Des Lynam in 1999 and helped take the popular BBC programme to greater heights.
Speculation over the future of the 63-year-old has been rife in recent months with the BBC looking to make changes to the show.
The former England striker has now confirmed that he will be stepping down as host when the Premier League season ends in May 2025.
However, Lineker will continue to front the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025/26 season and the World Cup in 2026.
“It has been an absolute joy and privilege to present such an iconic show for the BBC, but all things have to come to an end,” Lineker said on his podcast, The Rest is Football.
“It came at a point where really the BBC and Match of the Day, they’ve got the rights for another three years, the cycle starts from next season so it felt like if I just do one more year it would be a bit weird.”
He added: “I bowed out in my football career when I felt it was the right time. I feel this is now the right time.
“I think the next contract they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”
Lineker’s comments come after The BBC announced it is to launch a reality show to find a new football expert using TikTok, in an attempt to attract a younger audience.
The show will be broadcast on iPlayer in 2025 in the lead-up to next summer’s Women’s European Championship with the winner being offered a paid role producing digital content for BBC Sport and appearing on programmes such as Football Focus and BBC Radio 5 Live.
Lineker confirmed he has no knowledge on who his successor will be with Match of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman and Football Focus lead Alex Scott among the favourites.
“Obviously I don’t know who it’ll be, and I would never tell publicly my preference, I don’t think that’d be the right thing to do – but whoever it is, I would say be yourself,” Lineker added.
“I had to fill the ginormous shoes of a certain Des Lynam. I would say just be yourself and enjoy it, it’s a wonderful programme to be a part of. It was brilliant before I took over, and it will be brilliant after I leave.”
“I look back and it’s been an amazing experience, and I feel incredibly fortunate,” he said, before confirming he would still watch Match of the Day.
“It’s the flagship BBC Sports programme, hopefully, it always will be.”
Lineker was suspended from hosting the show last year after breaching the BBC’s rules on expressing political views on social media.
It hinged on the British Government’s policy on asylum seekers – something Lineker strongly opposed.
Speaking about the difficulties he’s encountered of late, he said: “I’ve had a lot of chaos over the last couple of years in many ways.”
He also joked that he was on ‘first name terms with people that stand outside of my front door’.
