Football

Gary Lineker Odds: Could Former MOTD Presenter Join ITV For 2026 World Cup?

4 months ago

| BY Alex McMahon

Gary Lineker will leave the BBC after nearly three decades, with Sunday’s Match of the Day broadcast his final appearance on the channel.

Odds compilers at William Hill price the former MOTD presenter at 3/1 to join the ITV team for their 2026 World Cup coverage and there will be plenty of sports fans hoping to see him on television screens at next summer’s tournament.

In addition, Lineker is as short as 7/2 with William Hill to host his own football show on ITV before the end of 2026 – with sports betting odds of 4/1 for the presenter to do the same for Sky Sports.

Could Gary Lineker sign up for a celebrity television show? We’re going 6/1 for Lineker to star on Strictly Come Dancing in 2025 while punters can back him to appear on the 2026 Celebrity Traitors at 7/1.

Furthermore, Lineker is priced at 8/1 for a stint in the jungle on I’m A Celebrity later this year. He has been rumoured to appear on I’m A Celeb on several occasions over the years but nothing has ever come to fruition on that front.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “Gary Lineker has been a permanent fixture in households across the nation for over 25 years as the presenter of Match of the Day and while that may be coming to the end after a falling out with the BBC, we think he could well switch over to ITV, and make him 3/1 to be involved in their 2026 World Cup coverage.

“Lineker is 7/2 to have his own football show on ITV and 4/1 to switch over to Sky and host a football show before the end of 2026, but a return to MOTD might not be out of the question, and we go 12/1 that he presents at least one episode next season.

“Being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing (6/1), Celebrity Traitors (7/1) and I’m A Celebrity (8/1) could also all be short-term possibilities for the MOTD star.”

Gary Lineker Betting Specials

William Hill are offering a number of Gary Lineker specials following news of his BBC departure this week. You can check out the current state of the market below:

To Be Part of England’s 2026 Soccer Aid Coaching Staff – 2/1
To Be Part of ITV’s World Cup 2026 Coverage Team – 3/1
To Host His Own Football Show on ITV Before the End of 2026 – 7/2
To Host His Own Football Show on Sky Sports Before the End of 2026 – 4/1
To Host His Own Game Show on ITV Before the End of 2026 – 5/1
To Take Part In Strictly Come Dancing 2025 – 6/1
To Take Part In Celebrity Big Brother 2026 – 7/1
To Be Part of BBC’s World Cup 2026 Coverage Team – 7/1
To Take Part In Celebrity Traitors 2026 – 7/1
To Take Part In I’m A Celebrity 2025 – 8/1
To Host At Least One Episode of MOTD in the 2025/26 Premier League Season – 12/1
To Be Announced as Permanent MOTD Host for the Start of the 2026/27 Season – 20/1
To Host Eurovision 2026 – 33/1
To Be Announced as Leicester City Manager Before the Start of the 2025/26 Championship Season – 66/1
To Be Next Labour Party Leader After Keir Starmer – 80/1