- The experienced presenter will step away from the corporation in 2026
- In an interview, he revealed whether he plans to join another TV company
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Gary Lineker has revealed he has no plans to jump ship to a rival broadcaster when his lucrative contract with the BBC runs down next year.
The experienced anchor will step down as host of Match of the Day in May, bringing an end to his 26-year spell in the show’s hot seat, but will continue to front coverage of next season’s FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup.
He is then expected to walk away entirely from the corporation, raising questions over whether he could be tempted to put pen to paper with another company.
But Lineker has quashed the speculation in an interview with FourFourTwo, saying he will instead focus on his burgeoning, money-spinning podcast empire.
The 64-year-old also hinted he may step away from sports presenting entirely, saying: ‘I don’t think you’ll see me doing much football, apart from the podcast.’
Lineker then added: ‘I’ll do the odd thing, but I don’t think you’ll see me appearing regularly on another channel.’
Gary Lineker revealed he has no plans to join another TV company when he leaves the BBC
Lineker will step away from the corporation after fronting their 2026 World Cup coverage
He will instead focus on his growing podcast empire and hosting The Rest Is Football
Sky Sports are believed to have approached Lineker, who earned over £1.35m from the BBC last year and is their highest-paid employee, on several occasions.
‘We’ve had talks with Sky at various points, but I always wanted to stick with the BBC,’ Lineker added, before detailing his reasons for staying put.
‘I could have earned a lot more, though I know I’ve been well paid anyway, obviously.
‘I’ve had offers to go elsewhere but I just loved being with the BBC, and also how it helps everything else you do.
‘It’s not only the kudos, the audience is much bigger. More people still watch Match of the Day than probably the biggest live game on Sundays.
‘Also, I’m quite loyal. I’ve had the same guy cut my hair for 40 years, the same guy training me in the gym for 30 years, the same agent since I was 18…’
Lineker’s podcast company recorded a staggering £1.4million profit last year.
He founded Goalhanger Podcasts in 2019 and its series of shows, including The Rest Is Football, The Rest Is Politics and The Rest Is History, have regularly topped the charts, raking in millions of listeners and boasting growing audiences.
Lineker turned down Sky on numerous occasions despite being offered more money
He anchors The Rest Is Football alongside BBC colleagues Micah Richards and Alan Shearer
Its assets jumped over the last 12 months with accounts filed at Companies House showing its retained earnings rose from £590,000 in 2023 to £2.03m last year, a £1.4m rise.
Cash in the bank also increased from £560,000 to £2.7m.
Lineker himself presents The Rest Is Football, a popular show covering the sport’s biggest talking points, alongside BBC colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
According to the business, its 13 key shows amassed more than 400m audio downloads and over 85m views on YouTube across 2024.
During Euro 2024, Lineker’s podcast was downloaded 19.6m times.