Next Match of the Day Host Odds: Alex Scott early favourite to replace Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day at the end of the 2024/25 season, after 26 years leading the BBC’s football highlights show. Since 1999, viewers have tuned in to catch up with the Premier League highlights, and they’ve been steered expertly by the former Barcelona, Everton and Tottenham striker. 

But now the programme will enter a new era, and there’s plenty of discussion around who could possibly replace Lineker. Below I’ve taken a look at the Next Match of the Day Host Odds, and discussed the credentials and possibility for each candidate. 

Alex Scott @ 9/4

Alex Scott has broken the mould of the standard football pundit, having become one of the first mainstream female pundits since retiring in 2017. She worked on the 2018 men’s World Cup in Russia and has also been on Sky Sports regularly, but her real progress on the BBC has happened fairly recently. 

In 2021, she took over the duty of presenting the historic football show Football Focus, replacing the popular Dan Walker. She’s steered that ship well since being given the job and has been ever-present at men’s and women’s major tournaments since then. She would be an excellent host, and it will be interesting to see if the BBC choose a male or female replacement for Lineker.

Mark Chapman @ 3/1

The man in the running to take this gig is Mr Mark Chapman. A familiar face to viewers of Match of the Day 2, he has also stood in for Lineker on several occasions so you can see why he is one of the early favourites here. Chapman has presented several shows for the BBC over the years, including FA Cup coverage, and was recently given the task of presenting the BBC’s new Uefa Championship League highlights show. 

He’s got a decade of experience presenting Match of the Day 2, and also does a lot of work on BBC 5 Live, working on their Monday Night Club show alongside an array of special guests. He fits the bill in all senses, so it would be surprising if he is overlooked in my opinion.

Kelly Cates @ 8/1

Kelly Cates is best known for presenting key Premier League games on Sky Sports, including Super Sunday. Her work with Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville over the years has been lauded, and the daughter of Kenny Dalglish is now an extremely popular and experienced anchor.

She’s hosted the 606 football phone-in on BBC 5 Live and the Football Daily podcast, while she’s also featured at a number of major tournaments over the years. Although she’d be a solid choice, tempting her away from her role at Sky could prove difficult.

Gabby Logan @ 8/1

Five of the top six in the betting are female and that brings us to Gabby Logan, another popular presenter from the BBC’s stable. She’s one of the UK’s best-known presenters and now has two decades of experience hosting football coverage across major broadcasters. 

She started at Sky before moving to ITV where she would deputise for Des Lynam on The Premiership between 2001 and 2004. That work mean that she succeeded Lynam on ITV’s Champions League coverage, before joining the BBC in 2007.

We’ve already seen her on MOTD on several occasions standing in for the departing Lineker while she also covers the Six Nations, the Olympics and men’s and women’s World Cups. A master of her trade, and somebody who has recently hosted Premier League matches on Amazon Prime, she is also an excellent candidate. 

Kelly Somers @ 12/1

Kelly Somers has recently fronted England’s internationals on Channel 4, while she also has experience presenting for the BBC, TalkSPORT and Optus TV. She’s also presented Match of the Day in the past, hosting the Community Shield coverage and has also anchored Football Focus and The Women’s Football Show in recent years. 

A brilliant broadcaster, it remains to be seen whether the BBC will plump for her to fill Lineker’s shoes. It’s a big job for anybody to consider taking on, but Somers has plenty of experience under her belt already. 

Eilidh Barbour @ 16/1

Eilidh Barbour is an outside shout for the job given she heads up the BBC’s golf coverage, but the Scottish presenter also has plenty of experience in football. She has presented Match of the Day 2 on a few occasions, standing in for Mark Chapman, while she has also featured at several women’s World Cups. 

Next Match of the Day Presenter Odds

She also has experience hosting live Premier League matches for Amazon Prime and could be an outside shout for the job, although truthfully I can’t see this one becoming a reality.