Gary Lineker’s dig over BBC decision as he returns for ITV World Cup role | Football | Sport
Gary Lineker will reportedly appear on ITV’s coverage of the World Cup (Image: Getty)
Everything you need to know about Gary Lineker and the 2026 World Cup….
- BBC departure details: Gary Lineker severed all connections with the BBC in 2025, drawing the curtain on his 26-year association with the broadcaster. The split came after a contentious social media episode in which he inadvertently shared a post featuring an anti-Semitic trope.
- Lineker’s original intentions: Prior to his complete departure, Lineker had been due to front the BBC’s 2026 World Cup programming. Yet the broadcaster and the presenter mutually agreed he would withdraw entirely from all subsequent sports presentation duties following his last Match of the Day campaign.
- Studio backlash: Lineker openly ridiculed the BBC’s choice to position its World Cup studio in Salford, Greater Manchester, rather than transmitting live from North America. He quipped that staying with the corporation would have confined him to working from a cramped “green box.”
- The BBC’s justification: BBC host Gabby Logan stood by the decision to remain in the United Kingdom, noting that transporting the studio equipment overseas early on would have proved prohibitively costly. BBC’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, subsequently responded by insisting viewers would detect no decline in broadcast standards and that allocating taxpayers’ funds to a Dallas studio would be difficult to defend.
- Virtual studio: The BBC responded to the “green box” criticism by unveiling a state-of-the-art studio featuring a vast panoramic screen and augmented reality capabilities. This technology creates a virtual environment that replicates the authentic skylines of the 16 World Cup host cities, with fans incorporated to recreate local settings.
- Netflix and podcast ventures: Following his departure, Lineker has remained occupied after securing a £14 million agreement with Netflix to broadcast The Rest Is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. The arrangement enables the trio to record and release daily episodes from a studio situated in New York City throughout the tournament.
- New entertainment role: Beyond sports broadcasting, Lineker has expanded into light entertainment as presenter of a new ITV game show entitled The Box. The programme sees celebrity participants locked inside yellow boxes and transported to undisclosed destinations where they must complete unexpected challenges.
- Shock ITV punditry move: Reports suggest that Lineker is preparing for a surprise punditry appearance on the BBC’s direct competitor, ITV, during a weekend World Cup broadcast. He has previously commended the broadcaster on his podcast for declining to cut to commercial breaks during FIFA‘s mandated three-minute player hydration breaks.
