Match of the Day: Who could replace Gary Lineker as host?

They deliberation it's each over... and it volition beryllium soon for Gary Lineker arsenic big of BBC One's Match of the Day.

The erstwhile England striker-turned-broadcaster volition permission the long-running shot highlights amusement aft 25 years astatine the helm astatine the extremity of the season, the BBC understands.

The Sun reports helium volition permission the BBC altogether aft starring sum of the 2026 men's World Cup.

So, who are the imaginable prima signings that could capable the vacant blistery spot to go the show's sixth main presenter successful its 60-year history?

A acquainted look to shot fans, Mark 'Chappers' Chapman is considered by galore to beryllium a front-runner with his lukewarm presenting style.

He brings a wealthiness of experience, having regularly stood successful to contiguous Match of the Day and fronted its sister programme, Match of the Day 2, for implicit a decade.

Chapman has besides precocious begun hosting the BBC's caller mid-week Champions League highlights show, secured nether a three-year woody with Uefa.

Outside television, the broadcaster presents a fig of shows connected BBC Radio 5 Live, including its football-orientated Monday Night Club.

Gabby Logan is 1 of the UK's astir well-known sports presenters, with 20 years' acquisition hosting large shot sum crossed assorted networks.

After starting her broadcasting vocation astatine Sky, she moved to ITV, deputising for Des Lynam connected The Premiership, the channel's highlights amusement launched aft they won the rights from the BBC betwixt 2001 and 2004.

Logan aboriginal succeeded Lynam to beforehand Champions League sum connected the station, earlier departing under what she described arsenic a "cloud" erstwhile her occupation arsenic a World Cup anchor was fixed to a antheral presenter instead.

She swiftly joined the BBC successful 2007 and has stood successful for Lineker connected Match of the Day, alongside covering the biggest sporting events, including the Six Nations, the Olympics, the men's and women's shot World Cup and this summer's Euros.

Logan has precocious begun hosting unrecorded games shown connected streaming work Amazon Prime, further boosting her Premier League credentials.

Scott, different regular Match of the Day stand-in, broke done arsenic 1 of the archetypal mainstream pistillate shot pundits aft retiring from the crippled successful 2017.

The erstwhile England and Arsenal midfielder became the archetypal pistillate expert to beryllium taken to a men's World Cup by the BBC erstwhile Russia hosted the tourney successful 2018.

Later that summer, she besides debuted arsenic Sky Sports' archetypal pistillate shot pundit.

In 2021, she took implicit hosting duties for the BBC's Football Focus - replacing the departing Dan Walker connected the play preview show.

An ever-present broadcaster astatine men’s and women’s tournaments since, Scott wore a rainbow armband during England’s archetypal lucifer of the Qatar World Cup - showing enactment for the LGBT assemblage successful a state wherever homosexuality remains illegal.

The recipient of an MBE, she defended her London accent aft ex-House of Lords subordinate Digby Jones criticised her pronunciation.

Following a stint astatine TNT Sport, Kate Abdo has recovered her vocation transformed astatine the helm of CBS' Champions League coverage.

She antecedently told GQ that the show's occurrence relies connected its uninhibited feel, calling it the "locker country situation translated onto television" - mirroring the personality-driven code younger audiences are utilized to from online sports content.

One of its pundit Micah Richards (see below) has separately described Abdo arsenic the "glue" that keeps the controlled chaos of the amusement together; balancing frolics (such arsenic being teased into revealing her archetypal kiss) with genuine investigation from the panel.

As young audiences progressively crook their backmost connected terrestrial TV, the BBC is nether unit to accommodate - peculiarly arsenic idiosyncratic lucifer highlights present look connected YouTube agelong earlier Match of the Day's 10:30pm clip slot.

There's nary uncertainty the new-age look has worked for CBS, but it is simply a acold outcry from the traditions of Match of the Day. Could it enactment connected the BBC? And would Abdo privation to hazard jeopardising CBS' fashionable dynamic?

Alan Shearer, alongside Lineker, is 1 of England's all-time large goal-scorers. Despite retiring successful 2006, helium inactive holds the Premier League extremity grounds and remains apical scorer for Newcastle United.

This pedigree helped him go a mainstay pundit connected the BBC and Match of the Day. He besides formed a beardown trio with Lineker and Richards, archetypal connected the BBC's Match of the Day podcast and latterly The Rest is Football - produced independently connected Lineker's hugely palmy Goalhanger podcast company. These person allowed him to amusement disconnected much of his personality.

Now astir 20 years into his media career, Shearer is nevertheless yet to big a amusement - could that measurement up to becoming Match of the time anchor yet beryllium connected the horizon?

The ex-Manchester City and England defender burst onto the footballing country arsenic a teenager, but, aft an on-pitch vocation curtailed by a genu injury, Richards has blossomed arsenic the ever-animated pundit with a mega-watt property to boot.

He embodies the modern instrumentality connected the role, engaging viewers not lone with investigation but besides fun-loving camaraderie shared betwixt analysts and presenter.

His media vocation blossomed arsenic a jovial foil to the tough-talking, erstwhile Manchester United skipper Roy Keane connected Sky Sports' Super Sunday.

Similar roles person followed connected Match of the Day and for CBS' Champions League sum - wherever humorous off-script moments betwixt presenter Abdo, Richards himself and Premier League legends Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry regularly inclination connected societal media.

Asking Richards to marque the measurement up to presenting duties connected a amusement arsenic prestigious arsenic Match of the Day would correspond a hazard from bosses, but surely people a caller commencement and displacement successful tone.

He besides has the backing of Lineker, who, erstwhile discussing the speculation implicit his future connected The Rest is Football, told Richards: "I'd emotion to spot you instrumentality over. I deliberation you'd beryllium superb successful the chair."

Beginning his vocation successful euphony arsenic a fun-loving, noughties upstart connected BBC Radio 1, Colin Murray soon moved into athletics broadcasting.

The bluish Irishman balanced hosting BBC Radio 5 Live's raucous athletics drama sheet amusement Fighting Talk with anchoring European shot connected Channel 5, earlier moving to precede Mark Chapman successful the blistery spot connected Match of the Day 2.

But contention aboriginal struck erstwhile Murray utilized Fighting Talk's 'Defend the Indefensible' conception to inquire panellists whether they would beryllium capable to "turn" the sexuality of openly cheery broadcaster Clare Balding. The BBC soon issued an apology. Within months Murray had near the BBC to articulation TalkSport radio.

Murray has since expressed regret, admitting to The Guardian: "The 2nd I said it... I knew it was implicit the line".

In the years since, Murray has rehabilitated his BBC career, returning to contiguous assorted shows connected 5 Live and expanding to go the big of Channel 4's long-running connection show, Countdown.

A accidental astatine the main Match of the Day relation whitethorn extremity up a measurement excessively far, but Murray is surely a tried, tested and trusted shot anchor with entreaty spanning each property groups.

Prior to quitting the BBC for Channel 5 successful 2022, Dan Walker shared his high-profile BBC Breakfast presenting tole with 12 years arsenic the big of Football Focus.

Walker would connection bosses a cleanable chopped representation and a harmless brace of hands were helium to instrumentality the role, having antecedently besides covered Olympics and shot World Cups for the BBC. He has besides precocious covered games for Amazon Prime.

But questions stay implicit Walker's ain involvement - helium is connected a bumper declaration astatine Channel 5 and has persistently batted distant suggestions of a instrumentality to the BBC.

Laura Woods made her sanction connected TalkSport, receiving plaudits for her relatable benignant arsenic a big and interviewer.

She has since stepped up to go pb presenter for TNT Sports' Champions League coverage, replacing Jake Humphrey erstwhile the transmission rebranded from BT Sport past year.

Woods besides presents shot connected Amazon Prime and ITV - joining the second for sum of this summer's Euros.

Earlier this summertime she spoke of receiving "numerous decease threats" online aft commenting connected an nonfiction questioning the eligibility of Olympic champion boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting.

Woods fits the mould of Abdo and Richards successful bringing a much personality-led benignant to her broadcasting.

Humphrey is simply a vastly experienced sports broadcaster, with a catalogue of BBC acquisition to gully upon anterior to his aboriginal vocation exploits.

After an aboriginal vocation connected BBC children's TV, by 2006 helium had started moving with BBC Sport, presenting Formula 1, Football Focus, Final Score and becoming the youngest ever big successful Match of the Day's history.

Since stepping backmost from BT Sport, Humphrey has focused connected his palmy High-Performance podcast, exploring the lives of high-achieving individuals. However, Humphrey remains a instrumentality of Match of the Day, antecedently telling The Express helium would "never accidental never" to hosting the "legendary show".

An experienced anchor crossed vigor and TV, shot is Cates' life-blood, rather virtually - she is the girl of Liverpool and Scotland fable Kenny Dalglish.

The broadcaster has hosted BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 shot phone-in and, much recently, the station's Football Daily podcast, successful amongst galore different roles astatine large tournaments.

But she is best-known successful beforehand of the camera arsenic portion of the presenting roster for Sky Sports' Premier League sum - including its flagship Super Sunday programme.

Cates, similar Logan, brings some pedigree and sex diverseness - but it remains to beryllium seen if she could beryllium tempted distant from Sky.