Next Match Of The Day Host Odds: Mark Chapman Early Favourite To Replace Lineker

Gary Lineker looks set to bow out of Match of the Day at the end of this season, sparking speculation on betting sites about who will replace him. 

The former England star has made no secret of the fact he has recently been in contract negotiations with the BBC over his future on the football highlights show.

And he is expected to blow the final whistle on his MOTD career in May, but he won't hang up his BBC microphone until after the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. 

A BBC source told The Sun newspaper: "Gary absolutely adores Match of the Day, and has been incredibly happy at the BBC.

"But he has been at the helm since 1999, and by the time he leaves, he will have been at the Beeb for 30 years.

"He wants to leave on a high - and if England win the World Cup, it doesn’t get much higher."

Lineker is said to have been in talks with the BBC over the past six weeks, and his deal to stay with the corporation until 2026 is said to include the 2025/26 FA Cup coverage. 

But with the Match of the Day hotseat expected to be vacant at the end of the campaign - who will replace him? 

Next Match Of The Day Host Odds

Chapman Early Frontrunner  

Mark Chapman is the early 6/4 favourite with Coral to replace Gary on Match of the Day. 

Chappers, as he is affectionately known in the industry, has been a safe pair of hands at the BBC for years and has seamlessly stepped in for Lineker, and also fronted Match of the Day 2. 

He is a worthy short-priced favourite on UK betting sites, but he is followed in the market by another experienced head in Kelly Cates. 

Cates - the daughter of former Liverpool FC player and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish - is an extremely experienced broadcaster and is currently working for Sky Sports, as well as BBC Radio 5 and ESPN. 

She is just 4/1 with Coral to land the Match of the Day gig, and it would be no surprise to see her named as Lineker's successor. 

BBC To Make MOTD History?

If BBC bosses make history by appointing Match of the Day's first full-time female presenter then Cates will no doubt be on their shortlist. 

But she will have some tough competition for the job in fellow experienced broadcaster Gabby Logan. 

Logan is just 6/1 on new betting sites to replace Lineker, and is already well known and liked at the BBC.  

Another who is popular at the corporation is Alex Scott. 

Like Lineker, Scott is a former England international and while she doesn't have the TV experience that the likes of Chapman, Cates and Logan do, she has risen up the ranks at the BBC. 

She was announced as the new Football Focus presenter in 2021, after Dan Walker stepped down, and is likely to be in the frame for the Match of the Day job. 

Another hat-trick of female presenters who will surely be in the conversation are Kelly Somers (8/1), Eilidh Barbour (8/1) and 10/1 chance Laura Woods. 

Lineker's Pick Richards Outsider For MOTD Job 

If Lineker has a say in who his successor is then former Manchester City footballer Micah Richards could land the job. 

He is currently a pundit on Match of the Day and has brought some new energy to the position alongside Alan Shearer. 

Lineker, Richards and Shearer co-host The Rest is Football podcast, and the former recently admitted he would be pleased to see Richards take over from him on Match of the Day. 

After Richards joked it was "concerning" to see he was a short price to replace his pal in the Match of the Day hotseat, Gary replied: "I'd love to see you take over mate - I think you'd be brilliant in the chair."

Richards is a 12/1 outsider on betting apps to land the role, but his lack of TV presenting experience may scupper him. 

Former BBC star Dan Walker is the same price, 12/1 with Coral, to be re-hired by his former employers, but they may prefer to look in-house instead. 

If so, Richards' fellow Match of the Day pundit Shearer may have a slim chance of securing the position, but, like his pal, he is lacking TV hosting experience.

One thing is for sure - whoever lands the job will have big boots to fill.