GARY LINEKER has confirmed his deal with Netflix to bring The Rest is Football to the streaming platform for the 2026 World Cup – and he won’t hold back if England do not perform.
The former Match of the Day presenter will take on the bold task of hosting a daily show during the World Cup for 40 DAYS STRAIGHT.
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Gary Lineker won’t be part of the BBC’s World Cup coverage after leaving the broadcaster last May Credit: GETTY
Lineker’s ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast will air on Netflix throughout the tournament Credit: PA
Micah Richards and Alan Shearer will retain their presence alongside him in addition to several ‘exciting surprise guests’.
During an announcement in London, the 65-year-old insisted he will support England to the max this summer in North America.
But he will tell the truth if they fail to live up to the lofty expectations.
He said: “I rubbed a few people the wrong way when I said England was s*** at the last tournament.
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Gary Lineker has previously refrained from giving damning assessments of England’s failures at major tournaments Credit: PA
But he won’t do that on his new Netflix platform Credit: GETTY
“But I only said that because I’m passionate. It was an excruciating watch.
“A few months ago, I was feeling good about England at this World Cup. Now, I’m less confident.
“We have to tell it like it is, and I plan on doing the same this time around.
“Hopefully, England play well and I won’t need to say that again!”
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The legendary England striker and broadcaster jokingly alluded to the fact he was originally on track to work for BBC this summer before their split accelerated following controversy around what many interpreted to be an antisemitic social media post, for which he apologised.
But Lineker’s excitement emanated from the stage as he described Netflix‘s grand plans and, presumably, investment in this fresh idea.
Lineker said: “This World Cup will be different because of all the other ones I’ve done at the BBC.
“I would have been in Salford in the green box, and now I’m in New York City, at Times Square.
“This will be exciting and something very different but still very similar to the podcast.”
Netflix has aggressively moved into the sporting domain with the $5 billion deal to air WWE live every week as well as securing major fights like Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao and, crucially, Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury for the end of the year.
Alongside the plans for The Rest is Football, the streamer, which has over 325 million paid subscribers, announced a slew of upcoming documentaries to complement their sporting offerings this year.
Deep dives on Jamie Vardy, Vinnie Jones, Liverpool‘s Champions League win in Istanbul, Jose Mourinho, Emiliano Martinez, Rafa Benitez, Brazil‘s 1970 side, Michael Schumacher‘s 1994 season, Rafael Nadal and Tyson Fury are all coming this year.
