MOTD Presenters: Lineker, Chapman, Cates & The Full History

Match of the Day’s current main presenters (2025/26) are Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, who took over from Gary Lineker and William Hill News look back at the legendary figures to front the famous football show.

The trio are the first shared lead presenting team in the show’s history, and they have been splitting duties across Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday BBC football coverage since the 2025/26 season began.

Current MOTD presenters

Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, and Gabby Logan are the new face of Match of the Day, with Chapman opening the first Saturday programme of the 2025-26 season. The BBC has also rotated Cates and Logan across Match of the Day 2 and Match of the Day: Champions League, turning the flagship highlights show into a shared job rather than a single-chair role.

That setup matters because it changes the feel of the programme, but not the core job. MOTD is still built around Premier League highlights, pundit analysis and the late-night Saturday ritual that has defined British football television since 1964.

The three presenters also bring different broadcast backgrounds. Chapman had been the regular Match of the Day 2 host since 2013, Cates arrived with years of coverage of Premier League fixtures for Sky Sports, and Logan had already stood in for Lineker on the show and fronted major BBC tournaments.

Who replaced Gary Lineker on MOTD?

Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, and Gabby Logan replaced Gary Lineker on Match of the Day. The BBC confirmed them as the new presenting team for the 2025/26 season, and the role was shared for the first time across the main Saturday show, Match of the Day 2, and the new Wednesday Champions League highlights programme.

That three-person line-up also marks the sixth set of main presenters in the show’s history. For a programme that began in 1964, the shift is a big one, but it keeps the same mix of authority, familiarity, and football knowledge that has always mattered on MOTD.

When did Lineker leave Match of the Day?

Gary Lineker left Match of the Day after the final programme of the 2024/25 season, which aired on 26 May 2025. He had already announced in November 2024 that he would step down at the end of that campaign, before later bringing forward his BBC exit to leave completely after a social media row.

Lineker had presented MOTD since 1999, making him the show’s longest-serving main presenter and one of the most familiar faces in British sport.

Match of the Day presenters through the years

Match of the Day has moved through a small but influential list of main presenters since the first episode on 22 August 1964. Here is the full run of the show’s headline names, including the post-Lineker trio now in place.

That list is why the names David Coleman, Jimmy Hill, Des Lynam, and Lineker still matter so much in MOTD history. Each one shaped the show at a different stage, from early highlights television to the modern, studio-led format built around analysis and personality.

Who has presented MOTD the longest?

Gary Lineker has presented Match of the Day the longest among its main presenters, with a run that began in 1999 and ended in 2025. His 26-year spell puts him ahead of Des Lynam’s 11 years and well clear of the earlier eras, which changed hands more often.

Lineker’s long run also explains why the current reset feels so significant. He became the public voice of the show for a generation, so handing over to Chapman, Cates and Logan was never going to feel like a routine edit; it was a full change of era.

Why the new trio matters

The shared format gives the BBC flexibility across its football output, especially with Match of the Day 2 and Champions League highlights built into the same presenting structure. It also lets the broadcasters play to their strengths rather than forcing one presenter to carry every broadcast slot through the season.

For viewers, the appeal is simple: the show still has the same late-night football habit, but with three different voices and perspectives. If you are lining up your weekend acca or using a Bet Builder, it is the same kind of simple logic – follow the form, trust the structure, and keep the stakes sensible rather than chasing a miracle. Safer Gambling matters, and support is available at www.begambleaware.org.

Past MOTD voices beyond the main chair

Match of the Day has always relied on more than the presenter in the chair. Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson became two of the most recognisable pundits of the Premier League era, while Trevor Brooking, Garth Crooks, Ian Wright, and Alan Shearer helped define later studio debates and analysis.

That wider cast is part of why the show has lasted so long. Presenters change, but the format still depends on quick opinions, sharp analysis and enough personality to make the highlights feel like a proper event rather than just a recap.