The BBC’s three presenters lined up for Match of the Day could receive a lower combined salary than what Gary Lineker was paid. Lineker announced in November that he is leaving the BBC’s iconic football highlights show after an illustrious 25-year spell at the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
However, he will still front the broadcaster’s coverage of the 2025/26 FA Cup as well as the 2026 World Cup. And after plenty of discussion over who will fill Lineker’s boots, it is being widely reported that Match of the Day 2’s Mark Chapman, veteran BBC sports host Gabby Logan, and Sky Sports favourite Kelly Cates will share the responsibility between them.
However, according to a football finance expert, the trio’s combined salaries may not even hit the heights of Lineker’s former lucrative deal. Sheffield Hallam University’s Dr Rob Wilson, a professor of Applied Sports Finance, told Card Player: “I don’t think that Kelly Cates will take a pay cut and I also think that the sum total of the three presenters will be less than what they were paying Gary Lineker.
“So I think the BBC will end up making a financial surplus on Gary moving on and new presenters moving in, notwithstanding the fact that the new presenters will probably be on a little bit more than they were in their previous jobs.”
Lineker has long been the BBC’s top earner with a £1.35million annual salary, thanks to his work on Match of the Day, FA Cup, Euros, and Sports Personality of the Year award. He has now taken a pay cut of at least £500,000, according to The Sun, due to his reduced workload.
Chapman’s earnings currently stand between £260,000 and £264,999-per-year for his work on Radio 5 Live Sport, Match of the Day 2 and the Challenge Cup, having had his 2022/2023 salary lowered from £325,000 – £329,999.
Gabby Logan, a part of the BBC presenting team since 2007, earns £210,000 for her various roles, including Olympics coverage and Sports Personality of the Year. Meanwhile, Cates’ pay packet from the BBC remains uncertain as she leaves Sky Sports after nine years.
She is estimated to be worth around £7.9m, while Lineker’s net worth is in the ballpark of £30m. Dr Wilson speculates that a move to the BBC attracted Cates with its offer of a greater salary and more exposure, given that it’s a free-to-air platform.
He added: “Does the brand hold without Gary Lineker? It depends on the nature of the audience, I think. I think those that have consumed Match of the Day for the last 20, 25 years have grown up seeing Gary presenting and obviously being the host of Match of the day.
“But like all good things, they come to an end and they need, and those presenters need to be replaced. I think it really will depend on how Match of the Day looks to start the next chapter. So will it be just a simple trade in trade out? Or do they look to reestablish the programme and change its format and its methodology to engage a slightly different audience?
“I think that arguably is the bigger challenge for the BBC because they have historical viewers that will want to continue consuming Match of the Day in its present format and of course, people that want to see some change with the new presenters and finding that balance is going to be quite tricky for them. I’m sure it’s the producers that are going to have the more challenging job than the presenters themselves.”
