Gary Lineker has reportedly signed a deal with Netflix to host The Rest Is Football podcast at next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico
Gary Lineker is said to have secured a multi-million-pound agreement with Netflix to present The Rest Is Football podcast during next summer’s World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Sun reports the legendary England striker turned TV star‘s production firm, Goalhanger, has struck a deal to sell the programme’s rights to the American streaming service. They suggest his fresh contract will eclipse his previous BBC arrangement, which saw him pocket £1.35million for fronting Match of the Day and additional programmes.
This means Lineker will compete directly with his ex-BBC counterparts at the tournament as Netflix expands its podcasting ventures. The Rest Is Football will reportedly broadcast daily rather than its existing three-times-weekly schedule, featuring regular co-presenters Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, reports the Mirror.
The BBC ended its licensing agreement with The Rest is Football in May, though the podcast remains accessible on alternative platforms and has garnered more than eight million YouTube views. The arrangement is expected to be revealed on Tuesday.
A source informed the Sun: “It’s a really exciting deal and Gary is thrilled. It means he will be at the World Cup after all.
“It’s Netflix’s first real foray into football coverage, with a daily show built around the podcast. This will also introduce Gary to a whole new international audience.
“Netflix first approached his company a few months ago, and his son Harry will also be joining him Stateside as he’s a producer, so it’ll be a real family affair.”
Lineker departed the BBC earlier this year following a social media post about Zionism that featured a rat emoji, which has been historically employed as an anti-Semitic slur.
The 65-year-old shared a social media statement, subsequently saying he was stepping down by mutual agreement and issued an apology for any offence caused by the post, explaining he hadn’t noticed the rat when he shared the content.
Lineker said: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember both on the pitch and in the studio. I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years.
“As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for. However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Lineker has been a passionate champion of human rights and had previously locked horns with his former employers over the BBC’s impartiality guidelines.
He was briefly suspended as Match of the Day presenter in 2023 after drawing parallels between the then-Conservative government’s asylum policy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Co-hosts Shearer and Ian Wright staged a boycott of the programme in solidarity, but the show proceeded without any post-match commentary.