Lineker to appear as ITV pundit at World Cup despite Netflix alignment

Gary Lineker will make an unexpected appearance as a pundit on ITV’s 2026 World Cup coverage on Saturday, featuring in their broadcast of the Group E match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm BST.

The move comes as a surprise given Lineker’s prominent role with Netflix during the tournament, where The Rest Is Football podcast — produced by his company Goalhanger Podcasts — is understood to have been acquired for around £14m. Lineker has been hosting daily episodes alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer from a New York City apartment overlooking Times Square.

Lineker was not among the pundits ITV originally announced for the tournament — a list that included Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Juan Mata, and Ange Postecoglou — and will appear in a punditry role rather than as a presenter.

The appearance represents another chapter in Lineker’s complicated departure from the BBC, where he had spent 26 years and was their highest-earning on-air talent. He had been expected to present his seventh World Cup for the corporation before the decision to part ways was brought forward in May 2024, following sustained criticism over his social media activity — most notably an Instagram post involving imagery historically associated with antisemitic tropes. Lineker apologised unreservedly for the post and subsequently confirmed he would leave the BBC at the end of the 2024/25 season, abandoning plans to front FA Cup coverage and this World Cup.

ITV has been contacted for comment on Lineker’s involvement.

The development adds further pressure on the BBC, which has already drawn criticism for presenting its World Cup coverage from its MediaCity studios in Salford rather than on location in the United States. ITV, by contrast, is broadcasting from a high-profile set in Brooklyn with views of the Manhattan skyline.