Gary Lineker has criticised the BBC's World Cup coverage this summer, revealing he will be presenting the tournament from New York for Netflix while the broadcaster operates from Salford. The former Match of the Day host made the comments during an appearance on the LBC podcast Full Disclosure.
Lineker left the BBC in May 2025 sooner than anticipated after a social media post featuring a rat emoji was deemed anti-Semitic. He apologised and stepped down with immediate effect. Speaking to James O'Brien, Lineker said: 'The truth is now, in hindsight, and I never would've wished this, but things have transpired. I've had Saturdays off, I'm going to do the World Cup for Netflix, in New York, whilst the BBC are doing the World Cup in Salford but things have turned out alright.'
Lineker's podcast, The Rest Is Football, which he hosts with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, has secured a daily show deal with Netflix to be filmed in New York City during the tournament. The podcast is produced by Goalhanger, the firm Lineker co-founded, which also produces The Rest Is Politics.
In addition to his podcast work, Lineker is fronting a new ITV game show called The Box, which he described as 'a lot of fun' and 'completely different' to his previous roles. He also participated in the Ballers League following his exit from the BBC.
