BBC make Match of the Day decision on first host after Gary Lineker's exit

Mark Chapman will present the BBC's first Match of the Day Saturday highlights programme this weekend, the PA news agency understands.

Chapman is part of a three-person presenting line-up alongside Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan, who will work on rotation this season following the departure of former lead presenter Gary Lineker.

PA understands Chapman will be the first of the trio to host the flagship Saturday night show. It is understood Cates will host a programme on Wednesday consisting of UEFA Super Cup highlights and a look ahead to the new Premier League season, while Logan will host Match of the Day's Sunday night programme this week.

The BBC announced on January 15 that Cates, Chapman and Logan would be the new presenting team. The news came following weeks of speculation about who would take over from Lineker after he said last year that he was stepping down.

The 64-year-old had long intended the final Match of the Day of last season, on May 26, to be the last time he would present the highlights programme but he was planning to stay on to front the BBC's live coverage of the FA Cup and 2026 World Cup.

Earlier in the month however he announced he was bringing forward his departure following a social media row in which he shared a post about Zionism featuring a depiction of a rat, historically used as an antisemitic trope.

Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter and host of Match of the Day since 1999, apologised unreservedly for the post but said it was "best for all concerned" if he left completely.

Cates, the daughter of former Liverpool forward and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish, has been a presenter with Sky Sports since rejoining the broadcaster in 2016, fronting coverage of the Premier League.

Cates is continuing in her role with Sky Sports. Chapman has been broadcasting for more than 25 years and has been a regular presenter of the BBC's Sunday night Match of the Day programme in the past.

Former gymnast Logan 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 time at the BBC.

She has presented Match Of The Day in Lineker's absence on many occasions, and was also a key part of the BBC's coverage of the last two Women's Euros in 2022 and this summer, with England emerging triumphant on both occasions.