He will also present the BBC's coverage of the 2025/2026 FA Cup.
“The BBC and Gary Lineker have agreed in principle to extend his contract until the 2026 World Cup,” the BBC said, while also confirming that his Match of the Day tenure is ending.
Lineker said: “I am delighted to continue my long-standing association with BBC Sport and would like to thank everyone who has made this possible.”
He will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will now too Host the popular podcast The Rest is Football on BBC Sounds.
In the podcast, Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards discuss the latest football news as well as stories from their careers. He is part of Goalhanger Productions, co-founded by Lineker.
This is the first time it will also be made available on the BBC's own audio platform; It is currently available on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Apple.
The BBC said there will be one episode a week of The Rest is Football on BBC Sounds from next month.
Goalhanger also produces popular shows such as “The Rest is History,” “The Rest is Politics,” and “The Rest is Entertainment.”
PA MediaLineker, whose contract was expiring, began negotiations with the BBC's new head of sport in October.
BBC News understands Lineker was willing to stay on Match of the Day but the BBC did not offer him a new contract for the show.
“With 33 million viewers watching the Premier League and FA Cup last season, Match of the Day remains a staple in the diet of football fans who still get a huge buzz when they hear that iconic theme tune on a Saturday night,” said the BBC.
“The show continues to evolve to meet changing viewing habits, providing unique and unmatched analysis and commentary across all platforms. Future plans for Match of the Day will be announced in due course.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, described Lineker as a world-class presenter.
“We are delighted that he will lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup,” he said.
“After 25 seasons, Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We would like to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers every week.
“He will be greatly missed on the show but we are so glad he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”
Former BBC director general Greg Dyke told BBC Radio 4's Today program that Lineker was “the outstanding sports presenter of his time”, but added: “Life goes on, presenters don't stay forever.”
The 63-year-old has hosted Match of the Day since 1999. He will hold the post for 26 years when he leaves at the end of the Premier League season in May 2025.
Dyke, who was general manager when Lineker began presenting the football show in 1999, did not speculate on whether Lineker “was offered a new contract or not”.
He also said he didn't know if the recent controversy over the host's social media use was related to his departure.
“I don’t know if that has anything to do with it. “It’s one of the few times I’ve disagreed with the BBC since I left,” he said.
“I thought he was a sports presenter and therefore what he said about politics was irrelevant to his performance as a presenter.”
“But it’s there in the background. So it must have been a thought in the mind of the person who made the decision.”
Dyke said the loss of the presenter was “a big loss” but “at the end of the day people watch the match of the day because of the football”.
“It is very difficult to follow this act”
Lineker told Esquire magazine in an interview published earlier this month that he has accepted that he “needs to slow down at some point.”
Dyke also said the BBC was in “financial difficulty”, pointing to recent job cuts that were part of the BBC's wider effort to save £700m a year, adding that the loss of Lineker was “a saving on the sports budget would mean that could be used “elsewhere”.
Lineker is one of the company's best-known presenters and the highest-paid star of all people whose salaries are reported. He earns more than £1.3 million a year.
He has also covered major tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championships for the BBC, as well as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremonies.
Lineker has worked for other sports broadcasters during his time at the BBC, including US broadcaster NBC and BT Sport (now TNT Sport).
Alastair Campbell, co-host of The Rest Is Politics podcast, said Lineker was “a very difficult act to prosecute,” Sky News reported.
“He’s an excellent presenter and a very good guy,” Campbell said.
Lineker's new contract has now been signed and he will leave the biggest tournament in world football on a winning note. But replacing a star host on a high-profile show is always a risk.
Lineker was briefly suspended by bosses last year after an outcry over his social media post about Britain's asylum policy.
The incident led to a review of the BBC's social media guidelines, which concluded that high-profile presenters should be given the opportunity to express their views on issues and policies, but should stay away from political campaigning.
At the time, Lineker described the new rules as “all very sensible”.
Before becoming a television presenter, Lineker had a highly successful career as a striker for England as well as Leicester, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona.
Additional reporting by Mallory Moench, Katie Razzall and Steven McIntosh.
