Gary Lineker has been booked to appear as a special guest on ITV’s World Cup coverage of Germany v Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday evening in his first appearance on terrestrial television since leaving the BBC 13 months ago.

The former Match of the Day presenter is in New York recording daily episodes of The Rest is Football podcast, which is being shown on Netflix, and has agreed to make a one-off appearance in ITV’s Brooklyn studio.

Booking Lineker is another coup for ITV who, as the Guardian revealed on Friday have taken an early lead in the TV ratings battle with the BBC by recording four of the five highest viewing figures for matches in the first week of the tournament.

Lineker presented coverage of six World Cups for the BBC, more than any other BBC broadcaster, but has been highly critical of his former employer’s approach to this tournament, particularly their decision to anchor their coverage in Salford.

Lineker left the BBC after 26 years in 2025 after repeatedly clashing with executives over his use of social media, and alleged breaches of their editorial guidelines.