Mark Chapman reveals what followers can anticipate from new Match of the Day line-up subsequent season as he prepares to interchange Gary Lineker alongside Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan
- The trio will take over from Lineker, who will step down after 26 years in hotseat
- Chapman has now given an insight into what viewers can expect from the three
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Mark Champman has given an insight into what fans can expect from the new Match of the Day line-up next season – and it’s not an awful lot.
Chapman will team up with Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates to host the BBC‘s flagship football show from the start of the next season, with Gary Lineker stepping down from the role after 26 years in the chair.
Cates, Chapman, and Logan are set to split presenting duties for Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 between the three of them when they begin their new role upon Lineker’s departure.
Chapman, who was speaking at the 2024 Sports Journalism Awards, has been a regular on the BBC for a number of years, usually anchoring Match of the Day 2 coverage on a Sunday.
He has also worked alongside Cates on Sky Sports, while Logan also has experience hosting the show.
And fans have now been given an insight into what will change next year from the horse’s mouth, with Chapman asked what to expect in the 2025-26 season.
Mark Chapman has given an insight into what fans can expect from next year’s Match of the Day – which he will co-present
Kelly Cates (left), Chapman (centre) and Gabby Logan (right) have teamed up to host the BBC’s flagship football show from the start of next season
Former footballer Lineker will be stepping down after 26 years in the show’s hotseat
‘Nothing different,’ Chapman I know people keep saying, “Oh this will change or that will change.” I genuinely don’t think anything will change.
‘It will still be showing all the highlights and having a bit of a chat. So, if you’re wanting a lot of change, I suppose you’re going to be a bit disappointed by it.
‘I think we are still just going to do the same thing and talk about football and have a laugh and that will be that.’
Logan, whose appointment was announced by the BBC in January, revealed that she and her fellow co-hosts went to great lengths to keep the news a secret ahead of their unveiling.
The trio created a secret WhatsApp group to discuss all things Match of the Day and strike a closer bond ahead of the big reveal – and even deleted messages to make sure the news stayed between them.
‘I didn’t even tell my mum,’ Logan said, having only told her husband and former Scotland rugby star Kenny.
‘I set up a group chat and called it “The Match of the Day three” and there were disappearing messages as Chappers was really paranoid about this. The only person I told was Kenny!’
It is understood BBC executives, headed by new director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski, are eager to move the show in a fresh direction with the appointment of Logan, Chapman and Cates.
Having a rotating cast and two female presenters on Match of the Day is a huge change for the show after over a quarter of a century with Lineker in the hotseat.
