New surprise name enters race to replace Gary Lineker as Match of the Day host

A new name has emerged as a possible replacement for Gary Lineker as host of Match of the Day.

Last week the BBC officially announced that former England striker would be stepping down from the presenting gig after 25 years in the hotseat.

He will stop presenting the Saturday night highlights show at the end of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, though he will continue hosting live FA Cup matches and coverage of the next World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

A flurry of names have been linked with replacing Lineker, including current BBC Sport presenters Mark Chapman, Kelly Somers, Jason Mohammed and Alex Scott, while Kelly Cates of Sky Sports has also been mentioned.

But there is a new name in the running as according to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, TNT Sports’ Reshmin Chowdhury is in the frame. The 46-year-old has been a reporter and presenter on European football competitions like the Champions League and Europa League on the channel for a number of years and has also hosted the World Cup draw and the Best FIFA football awards.

Chowdhury has also worked frequently for the BBC on a plethora of programmes and even stood in to present Match of the Day 2.

Reshmin Chowdhury has emerged as a contender for the Match of the Day job. Image: Getty

She has admirers within the BBC and the broadcaster's director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, tried to bring her to The Athletic in a previous role. Kay-Jelski will ultimately make the decision on who fills the void left by Lineker.

Lineker will still work on the MOTD Top Ten podcast, as well as the The Rest is Football podcast with Match of the Day regulars Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

“Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup," Kay-Kelski said on Lineker's departure.

“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”