We are hurtling towards the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the US, Canada and (probably!) Mexico. Broadcasters are finalising their plans. As Michael Savage pointed out for at the Guardian, a big question remains for the BBC. Who is going to present the final?
Previously, the answer to this would have been straightforward. Gary Lineker. He’s gone now, though, replaced by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gaby Logan. My guess usually would be Chapman. I think he is pound-for-pound the best sports broadcaster in the country. There is, though, an optics question. Will the Beeb want to just give it to the man? He could also comfortably be placed to lead the radio coverage instead. Logan presented the women’s Euros, so perhaps it will be Cates that gets the nod?
In an online post, Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said:
It’s wonderful to see Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan (alphabetical order, there are no favourites!) continuing the fine work of Gary Lineker, Des Lynam, Jimmy Hill and others in the famous chair. We will keep trying new things and trying to make as much of the football-loving audience as entertained and informed as we can. And we will keep learning from everyone doing great things out there, from content creators to Sky to clubs.
Savage also highlighted some interesting stats about the new look Match of the Day. He reported:
The number of digital BBC accounts accessing Match of the Day content in an average game week is up 21% year on year. The figure includes viewing of the Saturday and Sunday programmes on iPlayer, the new 8pm highlights on iPlayer, and highlight clips on the BBC Sport website and app.
I really like having the ability to access highlight of a specific game via the iPlayer.
The summer’s tournament kicks off with Mexico vs South Africa from the legendary Azteca stadium on 11th June at 8pm GMT/3pm ET. The 2026 World Cup Final will take place on 19 June, a staggering 103 matches later, at the same time.