A bold new era of Football on BBC Sport – Your Game, Your Season
Alex Kay-Jelski – BBC Director of Sport
Welcome to the new football season.
You know the feeling. That buzz in your stomach. That hopeful voice in your head “this could be our year.” The highs, the heartbreak, the glorious unpredictability of it all. From the first whistle to the last-minute drama, we’re right there with you. On the edge of our seats, refreshing the live page, wincing at referees or VAR, shouting at the TV, arguing in the group chat. We are fans. Just like you.
And that’s what this new era of football on BBC Sport is all about… you.
This season, we’re not just covering the games. We’re following the fans. Every goal, every story, every stat, every moment. Brought to you where you want it, when you want it, and how you love it. Whether you’re shouting for Liverpool or loving Lionesses, whether you back Chelsea Women or Cheltenham Town, you’re at the heart of everything we do.
We’re making football coverage for fans. And this year, it’s bolder, deeper, and more connected than ever before. All of it free. All of it for everyone.
We’re taking you inside the game more than ever before. That means new shows. New formats. New voices. New perspectives. More radio commentaries than we’ve ever had across the leagues. More updates on the club pages on our app and website up and down the pyramid.
We’ll also be showing you the key parts of Premier League games sooner. On Saturday and Sundays there will be highlights on iPlayer, our app and website available at 8pm (weekday matches or late weekend kick-offs are more like half an hour after full-time).
BBC Sport’s flagship football show, Match of the Day, returns with a brand-new presenting trio ready to bring insight, energy and entertainment every week. Full-time reaction on the BBC Sport app, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport’s YouTube channel along with TV’s excellent Final Score programme will ensure you’re up to date (including how your fantasy team has done). Then tactical breakdowns and unpicking of the big talking points that go beyond the obvious will take you closer to the players, the managers and the moments that matter, on the main show later that night. And it’s the same again for Champions League Wednesdays.
We’re bringing in a true legend of the game, Wayne Rooney, to host a brand-new show diving into the football debates that are dominating your algorithm every week. Wayne will bring his authority, honesty and experience to cut through the noise and give you the game as it really is. You’ll find it on iPlayer, Sounds, the BBC Sport app and website, YouTube and other social channels and it’s going to be funny, punchy and a perfect companion to the week.
You’ll also get fresh new formats like The Football Interview with Kelly Somers – a new show that goes past the post-match platitudes and into the personal stories that define the beautiful game. And by the game we don’t just mean the Premier League – we’ll be telling stories from men and women across the world.
On 5 Live, we’re turning up the volume with 209 Premier League commentaries this season, more than any UK radio broadcaster. That’s why we’re the true home of the Premier League. In Scotland and Northern Ireland there is extensive live coverage of the Scottish Premiership and NIFL Premiership across the season. BBC Local Radio has you covered outside of the top flight too with more than 5,000 commentaries a year across the English football pyramid.
And of course, all the things you already love are still here. Live pages that bring the drama to your fingertips. Fixtures, results, and tables to help you plan your week (and your mood). The Monday Night Club, Football Focus, The Women’s Football Show and a host of 5 Live shows and podcasts bringing brilliant debate and deep insight. Live coverage of the men’s FA Cup, Women’s Super League, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland World Cup qualifiers and Champions League highlights. And yes, the BBC Sport socials will still have you doomscrolling and laughing in equal measure.
This is football, like you’ve always loved it but reimagined for right now.
This is your game, your voice, your season.
And we’re here for every minute of it.
RM4
A new era of Match of The Day awaits
Built on legacy, a new season of Match of the Day is ready for kick-off
The 2025/26 season marks a bold, new era for BBC Sport’s flagship football show, Match of the Day. The legendary football programme returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 16 August, and with it, a trio of presenting powerhouses are ready to take the reins.
Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates, and Mark Chapman will front Match of the Day’s Saturday and Sunday programmes (now unified under one name) on rotation, as well as the newest addition to BBC Sport’s football highlights line-up, Match of the Day: Champions League – bringing energy, insight and personality to millions of viewers each week.
It’ll deliver sharp, in-depth post-match analysis from the world’s most competitive leagues – the Premier League and Champions League – with expert guests set to impart their knowledge, energy and experience having played the game at the very top level.
Fan favourites and returning stars forming the guest line-up include Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Williams, Danny Murphy, Dion Dublin, Ellen White, Joe Hart, Martin Keown, Nedum Onuoha, Shay Given, Steve Warnock, Steph Houghton and Theo Walcott.
For the story within the story, esteemed journalists Julien Laurens, Rory Smith, Guillem Balague and Nicky Bandini bring the latest news for Match of the Day Champions League.
Launching in the 2025/26 season, fans can now catch every goal from every Premier League game on BBC Sport faster than ever before – when and where they want it. Published live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, match highlights from every fixture will drop at 8pm, putting all the biggest moments at fans’ fingertips ahead of the expert analysis and in-depth discussion on the main show. It’s a game-changing way to stay connected and fully immersed in the action.
Highlights from every Champions League match will continue to be available from 10pm on match weeks, followed by the full Match of the Day Champions League programme later in the night.
Kelly Cates kicks things off with MOTD Premier League Preview on Wednesday 13 August, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan present Saturday and Sunday’s programmes.
What the MOTD presenters have to say
The older I get, the later my nerves kick in, so it’ll probably be the night before that I won’t sleep very well, and I’ll do that thing of constantly waking up and checking my alarm hasn’t forgotten to go off. I think to combat them, all you can do is prepare for it, all you can do is make sure you’re really well prepped, that you’ve talked through everything, you’ve thought through everything, and then once you’re on air, actually that’s not the scary bit: it’s all the buildup that’s nerve-wracking.
Just good fun. It’s about watching football and then talking football with people who know a lot more about it than I do, and who have played it, and that I’m jealous of because they’ve played it to a great level and I never could. So, it’s just fun, which is how it should be.
I think audiences shouldn’t be surprised that not too much is going to change, and we’re not going to revolutionise Match of the Day, because most of Match of the Day is absolutely perfect, and most of what Match of the Day does is brilliant, but there’s always room isn’t there, to improve and to try and make it even better and follow the audience and go with what they want to see. We’ve got fantastic pundits, we’ve got brilliant commentators, we’ve got an amazing league in the Premier League, and I think the sport is always going to be the centrepiece of Match of the Day.
Get Ready for The Game
The Wayne Rooney Show
BBC Sport is launching a brand-new football podcast that promises to shake up the game – The Wayne Rooney Show, fronted by none other than Wayne Rooney, the iconic England and Manchester United legend, and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.
Joining forces with seasoned sports broadcaster Kelly Somers and comedian / passionate football fan Kae Kurd, this powerhouse trio will deliver incisive, twice weekly episodes every Monday and Friday – starting on Friday 15 August – diving headfirst into the hottest debates and untold stories shaping the sport that week, with moments that will have you cracking up with laughter along the way.
With unparalleled insider access and a career packed with some of football’s most celebrated moments, Wayne Rooney brings a fresh, authoritative perspective that only a true champion can offer. The show will dissect the biggest talking points dominating the social feeds, unpack the weekend’s pivotal matches, and reveal behind-the-scenes insights that fans can’t hear anywhere else.
Each episode will not only build excitement ahead of the weekend’s fixtures but also provide in-depth analysis of the latest results every Monday, spotlighting the stories that fly under the radar.
Beyond the pitch, listeners will be treated to exclusive, never-before-heard anecdotes from Wayne Rooney’s remarkable career – the personal tales and reflections that bring football’s greatest moments to life in an entirely new way.
Host, Wayne Rooney, says: “I’m absolutely buzzing to kick off this podcast with BBC Sport. Every week, we dive into the biggest football stories – no fluff, just proper insider knowledge from someone who’s lived it, breathed it, and knows what it takes to play at the highest level. Expect sharp opinions, honest chats, and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments with myself, Kelly and Kae. We each bring something different to the table but collectively want to give the audience the kind of insight you only get from being in the thick of the game and football fandom.”
Special guests from the world of football will be joining the group throughout the season to give their thoughts on the biggest stories as, and when, they happen.
Every episode will be available to watch or listen to across BBC Sport; on YouTube, BBC Sounds, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and across social media, with the first episode dropping on at 6am, Friday 15 August.
In the first episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, Wayne responds to comments made by former NFL player and minority owner of Birmingham City, Tom Brady, where he questioned his worth ethic during his tenure as manager of the club:
“I think it was a very unfair comment. When I went into Birmingham, they were in a mess really. Hence the fact that, the players weren’t really the players who could take the club forward.
“We knew that and I think, Tom come in once which was the day before a game where the day is a little bit light anyway and I don’t think he really understood football that well at the time, maybe he does now…
“But what he does understand is, he’s a hard worker, we know that, so that’s why I’m really disappointed with the comment because football is not NFL – NFL works for 3 months a year, players do need rest as well, so I think he was very unfair the way he’s come out and portrayed that.
“Listen, I respect Tom Brady massively, he’s one of the greatest – if not the greatest athletes – of all time and Birmingham do look like they’re getting it right now, which is good. I think what they have done is got the players out they need to get out because when I was there, you had Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett after me who also struggled as well… but yeah bit disappointed but nothing too serious so move on.”
Watch, listen and subscribe to The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport’s YouTube channel, BBC Sounds, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website & app from 6am on Friday 15 August
