Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are set to host a daily World Cup chat show for Netflix, broadcasting from a studio in New York's Times Square. The deal for their podcast The Rest Is Football is valued at around £14 million, according to multiple reports. The show will run daily throughout the tournament, with Netflix recruiting two reporters to cover the series of 40 episodes. The agreement marks a major expansion for the popular podcast, which has built a large following since its launch.
Micah Richards will join the show from a studio in Salford because he is contracted to the BBC, which is not fronting World Cup coverage from the US until later stages. The BBC will broadcast World Cup games from its headquarters in Salford, as confirmed by multiple sources. Richards' involvement adds a dynamic presence to the panel, though his location highlights the BBC's logistical constraints.
I'm going to do the World Cup for Netflix, in New York, whilst the BBC are doing the World Cup in Salford, bizarrely.
Lineker has mocked the BBC's World Cup coverage, saying he will be in New York while the BBC is in Salford. The Netflix deal includes the recruitment of two reporters for the series of 40 daily shows, as reported by major media outlets. The reporters will provide on-the-ground updates and interviews, enhancing the show's coverage.
Netflix does not have rights to show clips of World Cup goals in the new show, according to major media reports. This limitation means the show will rely on analysis and discussion rather than live footage. Lineker left the BBC in May 2025 after a controversy where he shared a social media post about Zionism that included a rat emoji, which was classed as an antisemitic insult. His departure from the BBC paved the way for his Netflix venture.
I was already doing the [podcast] anyway and then other offers started to come in reasonably quickly and, again, because people recognised it was a genuine error [his social media post].
In a separate development, Gary Neville's The Overlap has bought Mark Goldbridge's two YouTube channels in a seven-figure sum, according to major media reports. The Overlap will record 12 Stick to Football World Cup shows from New York this summer. The acquisition expands Neville's media portfolio and brings Goldbridge's audience into The Overlap network.
Lineker will also host a new ITV game show called The Box. The show is expected to air later this year, adding to Lineker's growing list of television projects.
The truth is now, in hindsight, and I never would've wished this, but things have transpired. I've had Saturdays off, I'm going to do the World Cup for Netflix, in New York, whilst the BBC are doing the World Cup in Salford but things have turned out alright.
I've got a new series… a reality show, actually, which I'm hosting. I've always been asked to go on reality shows and I've always said not until Ant & Dec retire or Claudia gives up. It's called The Box and it's a lot of fun. It's genuinely something completely different to what I've done before. I liked the look of this idea. I think it's really clever. It's light-hearted and a lot of fun.