Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman named as new Match Of The Day hosts

By Naomi Clarke and Kerri-Ann Roper, PA Reporters

Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will host Match Of The Day after Gary Lineker leaves at the end of the season.

The confirmation follows speculation about the presenting line-up of the BBC’s flagship football show following news last year that Lineker would step back from the role.

The former England striker has presented the show since 1999.

Logan said: “It’s always a real moment (sitting in the chair) because it has such history. It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TV’s changed so much.

“There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day. People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”

Cates, who will also continue her role with Sky Sports, said: “Once I sit in that chair and the theme music starts, I just know that’s going to be a really incredible moment. I’ve worked with a lot of the pundits before and they’re all fantastic, so I’m just looking forward to getting started.

“I’ve known Gabby and Mark really well for years so to bring it all together, embracing the digital side of things, it feels like a really comprehensive football package for fans and that’s what makes it so exciting too.”

She has been a presenter with Sky Sports since rejoining them in 2016, fronting their coverage of the Premier League.

The 49-year-old daughter of former Scotland and Liverpool footballer Sir Kenny Dalglish also hosts BBC Radio 5 Live’s Tuesday night sports coverage.

Former gymnast Logan, 51, became one of the first female sports anchors to break into terrestrial television and has covered several Olympic Games, the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games during her tenure at the BBC.

She has presented Match Of The Day in Lineker’s absence on many occasions, while she also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Women’s Euros in 2023.

Meanwhile, Chapman, 51, has been broadcasting for more than 25 years and presents BBC’s Match Of The Day 2 covering the action and reaction from the Premier League.

On sharing the role with Cates and Logan, Chapman said: “This isn’t about the three of us, it’s about the three of us plus our pundits, plus our editors, plus our analysts and stats people and production people, radio and online. Genuinely this is about all of us as a department working together.”

Logan and Chapman also host a Global Player podcast together, titled The Sports Agents.