Gary Lineker: Future of Match of the Day host remains uncertain as BBC confirms no contract renewal yet

A BBC spokesperson denied any imminent announcement regarding the 63-year-old presenter’s departure, saying: “We have nothing to announce, and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract.”

Lineker is under contract until the end of the football season, which concludes with the Champions League final in May next year.

Reports surfaced suggesting an internal email from BBC bosses hinted at Lineker's departure after 25 years, but MailOnline, which reported the story, was unable to verify the authenticity of the email.

Match Of The Day is one of the BBC’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1964. Former England footballer Lineker took over the flagship football highlights show in 1999 after predecessor Des Lynam joined ITV.

Lineker has been the BBC's highest-paid presenter for seven consecutive years, and in the 2023/24 financial year, he was the only on-air talent earning more than £1 million.

Last year, Lineker was briefly removed from the show after comparing the language around a government asylum seeker policy to 1930s Germany, sparking a major backlash and leading fellow pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer to boycott the programme in solidarity.

Although he returned to the show, new BBC guidelines now prohibit flagship presenters from making political comments on social media. A representative for Lineker has yet to comment on the situation.