Trio will host Match Of The Day, Match Of The Day 2, and Match Of The Day Champions League
The BBC has confirmed that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will succeed Gary Lineker as hosts of Match Of The Day.
Lineker is set to leave the show at the end of the current Premier League season, but will continue to work for the BBC on the FA Cup and World Cup, as well as the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the Rest Is Football podcast on BBC Sounds.
Cates, who will continue to work with Sky Sports alongside her BBC appearances, Chapman and Logan were reported to be the favourites to take over last month. Chapman and Logan will also continue to work on their other programming.
Chapman and Logan have fronted Match Of The Day before, with Chapman in particular a regular host on Match Of The Day 2 and Champions League. Logan has been one of the faces of the BBC’s athletics and other coverage. However, this is the first time that the lead presenter duties will be shared by three hosts. They become the sixth set of main presenters for the programme since its first broadcast in 1964.
The trio will work alongside pundits and commentators including Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Jason Mohammad, Kelly Somers, John Murray and Steve Crossman.
Logan said: “It’s always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history. It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TVs changed so much.
“There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day. People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”
Cates said: “Once I sit in that chair and the theme music starts, I just know that’s going to be a really incredible moment. I’ve worked with a lot of the pundits before and they’re all fantastic, so I’m just looking forward to getting started.
“I’ve known Gabby and Mark really well for years so to bring it all together, embracing the digital side of things, it feels like a really comprehensive football package for fans and that’s what makes it so exciting too.”
Chapman said: “This isn’t about the three of us, it’s about the three of us plus our pundits, plus our editors, plus our analysts and stats people and production people, radio and online. Genuinely this is about all of us as a department working together.”
He added: “I know the history of a lot of radio programmes and TV programmes and I do feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of the people that we are following in and respectful of what they have done.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, added: “I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season. They’re brilliant at what they do and Match of the Day viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed.
“Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 26 years, he’ll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football’s greatest tournaments.
“Outside of Match of the Day we’ve got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025/26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year. It’s a truly exciting time for BBC Sport’s football coverage.”
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