Gary Lineker returned to terrestrial football coverage for the first time since leaving the BBC, making a guest appearance on ITV’s Germany versus Ivory Coast coverage and using the moment to joke about his old employer’s World Cup set-up. He also criticised F
Gary Lineker didn’t ease himself back into TV life — he turned it into a punchline.
On Saturday night. the 65-year-old former Match of the Day host made a guest appearance on ITV’s coverage of Germany versus Ivory Coast. just weeks into a World Cup that has already pulled plenty of big names onto the small screen. Before the first advert break. Lineker humorously introduced the programme — then joked about slipping “into ‘old habits’” as ITV host Laura Woods quickly reminded him of her role.
“Thank you very much for joining us on ITV for this one – another day. another game. another channel. ” Lineker said. before adding that he was apologising for his familiar start to proceedings. Woods’s interjection came immediately after. a reminder that the set. the rules and the spotlight are no longer his the way they used to be.
Lineker’s jokes then sharpened. He mocked the BBC while confirming ITV’s studio — which he described as overlooking the Manhattan skyline — was real, while the BBC’s own World Cup base remains at Salford’s MediaCity until the knockout stages.
“I’ve been doing a show daily for Netflix, we’re at Times Square,” he said. “But I desperately wanted to come and see your set because I think it’s absolutely amazing and I can confirm that it is real.”
On the ITV panel, Lineker spent 20 minutes on the broadcast with a mix of tournament talk and personality-driven humour. The discussion included the tournament as a whole, Harry Kane equalling his England World Cup goalscoring record, the art of being a striker, and Thomas Tuchel.
That run of chat stretched into an on-air reset when Lineker, after an 11-minute “love-in” on the panel, threw the broadcast to the first advert break. Woods then steered the conversation into politics — asking him about FIFA’s ticket prices, which he criticised.
Lineker said FIFA would argue that stadiums are full and “they are,” and that the venues are “amazing.” But his concern was the cost placed on fans. He pointed to the idea that supporters may have to take “out a second mortgage” or even sell their cars to afford a place in the stands.
“I just don’t understand what FIFA are doing and why they are making it so difficult,” he said. “It’s incredible that so many fans have come here despite that. I just think, why? Why do they have to make it so expensive?”
When the time came to wrap, Woods handed him a final beat of banter. After Lineker jokingly asked whether he had failed the audition before departing, Woods quipped: “If you passed it, you would get my job, so you’ve failed.”
“I’ve got no chance of that, Laura,” Lineker replied. “May I say what a fabulous job you do – you are very good at this.”
Lineker wasn’t the only big name in the enlarged ITV studio. He joined Duncan Ferguson, Gary Neville and Ian Wright as a “special guest” on an expanded panel.
The timing of his appearance carries its own history. Lineker had been set to front the BBC’s World Cup coverage this summer as his “final bow” for the corporation after 26 years of service. But last May. he was stood down after backlash connected to a string of political social media posts. including what he said was the unwitting sharing of an Instagram post that featured a rat — an image associated with antisemitism.
Following the furore over the rat post. Lineker apologised “unreservedly. ” and he would later go on to leave the BBC at the end of the 2024-25 season. The broadcast on ITV now adds another layer to that shift: Lineker has been based in New York for the World Cup. hosting The Rest Is Football podcast produced by his firm Goalhanger. with episodes going out daily on Netflix under a reported £14million deal.
And his next TV stop is already lined up. He has recently joined the wider ITV family, fronting upcoming celebrity gameshow The Box in September.
For one night, though, the bigger story wasn’t simply where he was broadcasting from. It was how quickly he turned the transition itself into a joke — and how directly he still pushed back on what he sees as the hardest part of the tournament to watch: the price of entry.
Gary Lineker ITV BBC Germany vs Ivory Coast World Cup 2026 Laura Woods FIFA ticket prices Harry Kane Thomas Tuchel Duncan Ferguson Gary Neville Ian Wright The Rest Is Football Goalhanger Netflix