Gary Lineker’s 25-year tenure as Match of the Day (MOTD) presenter marks the end of an era.

Fans will be sad to see the back of the former England striker when you come down Speculation about who his successor will be at the end of this season has already taken the internet by storm.

It won’t be known who will take the reins until the BBC officially announces it, but let’s take a look at some of the names that could be in the hat.

Mark Chapman

Veteran sports presenter Chapman has hosted sister show Match Of The Day 2 for over a decade so it’s no surprise he’s a bookies’ favourite.

He’s a familiar face to fans and has more experience than most; he also replaces Lineker when he is unavailable on the main show.

Of course, Chapman’s permanent move to the Saturday show means someone will probably have to replace him on MOTD 2 on Sundays.

Alex Scott

Former Arsenal defender Alex Scott has led the way among women’s football pundits since her retirement from football in 2017.

Her breakthrough year in 2018 saw her become the first female commentator for the BBC to cover the men’s World Cup, and in the same year she became Sky Sports’ first female football commentator.

He has since become another substitute host on MOTD when Lineker failed to make it.

Gabby Logan

Experienced presenter Gabby Logan, who has become one of the most familiar faces on British television, has also replaced Lineker from time to time.

The former gymnast holds an MBE for services to sports broadcasting and the promotion of women in sport, having presented the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Invictus Games, FIFA World Cup, Euros and Six Nations for the BBC since 2007.

He is also a regular host of Amazon Prime Video’s sports programming, and in recent seasons has begun hosting some of the live games shown on the platform.

Alan Shearer

The former Newcastle striker took over from Lineker as England’s best striker when he retired in the 90s. Could history repeat itself with one of TV’s best quests?

Shearer may not be a presenter, but he has more experience than almost anyone when it comes to MOTD; has been sitting regularly alongside Lineker as an analyst for years.

If the BBC wants to keep things familiar to its audience after Lineker’s departure, it might be a safe bet to have someone to appear alongside him not only on MOTD but also on the MOTD podcast and Lineker’s own The Rest Is Football podcast.

Micah Richards

The cheerful former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender has been a mainstay of MOTD in recent years alongside Lineker and Shearer, so he only had to switch chairs for the presenter role.

The 36-year-old himself admitted that his injury-plagued football career did not reach the heights of Lineker and Shearer’s, but his specialist career has blossomed since his retirement in 2019.

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He has formed a formidable trio with former England internationals on both MOTD and The Rest Is Football podcast, and has formed a similar relationship with football stars Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher on CBS Sports in the US.

Lineker has previously touched on the possibility of Richards taking over MOTD, telling him on The Rest Is Football podcast: “Four to one? Wow. I’d love to see you take over. I think you’d be great in the chair.”

Kate Abdo

British sports broadcaster Kate Abdo has taken her career to new heights since hosting US channel CBS Sports, where she frequently covers Champions League football alongside Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher.

The banter he shared with the three former football players and his impressive presenting skills helped increase the popularity of the network’s coverage, especially on social media, where his interactions often went viral.

It would perhaps be a trickier deal if the BBC wanted to follow in the footsteps of Abdo, who reportedly signed a four-year deal with CBS last year.

Jason Muhammad

Mohammad, who currently hosts the BBC’s Final Score program on Saturday afternoons, has also stood in for Lineker and Chapman on MOTD programs since joining the company in 1997.

The Welsh television and radio presenter, who is among the BBC’s highest earners, is among the bookmakers’ favorites for the job.

Kelly Somers

Somers, who became the sixth woman to present MOTD in 2020, has worked with the BBC, Talksport, Premier League and Prime Video, to name just a few.

He has become a frequent name for football fans when watching England men’s matches at the 2020 European Championship and 2022 World Cup, and has continued to feature Channel 4’s national team news for the last two years.

Dion Dublin

Another BBC Sport regular, former Aston Villa and Manchester United striker Dublin is high on the bookmakers’ list.

He has appeared regularly on MOTD, as well as other BBC programs such as Football Focus and Final Score, but has also stepped outside the football world and hosted the daytime property show Homes Under the Hammer.

Gary Neville

Manchester United great Neville has become a pundit powerhouse on Sky Sports since his retirement in 2011.

Lineker was full of praise for Neville and said he wished he could get him into the MOTD in 2013. He did mean, however, that on less intense schedules Neville is now able to deliver his trademark long, in-depth analysis, whereas MOTD has to be concise due to how many games it tends to cover in its short running time.

Neville recently appeared as a guest entrepreneur on the BBC’s business show Dragon’s Den and the company’s comedy panel show Have I Got News for You.

But the former England right-back was a key supporter of the Labor Party and made political statements while hosting ITV’s coverage of the 2022 World Cup final; This may cause the BBC to delay Lineker’s decision given the row over his past political views.

Lineker briefly Removed from MOTD In March last year, following controversy over comments on social media criticizing the then Conservative government’s asylum policies.

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Laura Woods

Woods has been the face of TNT Sports’ Champions League football coverage since taking over from BT Sport’s Jake Humphrey as lead presenter last year.

It was a natural progression for the former Talksport radio presenter, who became one of football’s most popular presenters on television before taking on the big role. Now that Lineker has stepped back, can he land another big concert?

Jake Humphrey

Well-known host Humphrey voluntarily stepped away from television last year to focus on his High Performance podcast, where he interviews top performers in sports, entertainment, business and health and wellness.

He has plenty of TV experience, not only from his time leading TNT Sports but also presenting Formula 1, Football Focus, Final Score on BBC Sport.

He made history at MOTD before becoming the youngest ever host when he replaced Lineker.