Gary Lineker to leave Match of the Day at end of season

Gary Lineker is set to leave his role presenting Match of the Day at the end of the season, according to BBC News.

The former England striker will then leave the BBC after fronting the corporation’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, The Sun reports.

The 63-year-old took over as host of Match of the Day in 1999, having started as a presenter on BBC Radio Five Live and Grandstand.

Gary Lineker is set to bring his reign as Match of the Day host to a close (Mike Egerton/PA)

In March last year, Lineker briefly stepped away from presenting the programme after his tweet about the British government’s asylum policy sparked a row about BBC presenters expressing political views on social media.

In August 2016 he made good on an earlier promise to present the show in his underpants after his boyhood club Leicester won the Premier League.