Gary Lineker appeared on ITV's World Cup coverage having left the BBC in 2025 after more than two decades as the face of the long‑running Match of the Day programme20:09, 20 Jun 2026Updated 20:34, 20 Jun 2026Gary Lineker needed only seconds to take a sly dig at his former employer, the BBC, claiming the ITV set to be 'absolutely amazing' in contrast to the BBC's remote setup. Lineker has been brought in as a guest pundit for the ITV for the World Cup clash between Germany and Ivory Coast (9pm kick-off).‌The former Match of the Day host had been following the tournament from New York, where he has been presenting daily episodes of The Rest Is Football for Netflix. Lineker had originally planned to remain involved with the BBC's World Cup coverage after stepping down from Match of the Day, but it was announced in May of last year that he would be cutting ties with the broadcaster entirely.‌His appearance on ITV marks a move to the BBC's direct rival just over a year after his departure. As ITV began their live coverage on Saturday evening, Lineker said: "Thank you for joining us on ITV for this one, another day, another game, another channel..."‌Presenter Laura Woods then interjected: "Woah, woah, woah Gary that's my job," before Lineker added: "Sorry, sorry, old habits Laura, old habits."Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Woods continued: "As you'll notice Gary Lineker is our very special guest, England's joint top goalscorer with Harry Kane. Gary, great to have you all jokes aside, welcome to the New York and welcome to ITV family, you have a new show which we'll be talking about in a minute."‌Lineker replied: "I've been doing a show daily for Netflix in Times Square but I did desperately wanted to come and see your set. I think it's absolutely amazing, and I can confirm that it's real."What a backdrop. And obviously I wanted to do TV, I haven't done it for a little while."‌Lineker's subtle dig at the BBC comes amid criticism of the broadcaster's World Cup setup, with their studio based in Salford, Manchester, rather than on-site in the United States. ITV, by contrast, are broadcasting from a rooftop studio overlooking the New York and Brooklyn skyline.The BBC director of sport Alex Kay‑Jelski explained that the decision not to base their set in the United States was due to financial reasons."I don't think the answer from a financial and sustainability point of view is to say everyone can go," he told journalists at an event. "I don’t think that’s a very clever way for me to spend licence-fee money.Article continues below"The actual end product that people are getting at home, I don’t really think it's that different." Lineker will return to ITV screens when his game show 'The Box' airs in early September.Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.