Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are set to become Netflix’s primary World Cup presenters, broadcasting from a specially constructed studio high above Times Square in New York.
The streaming giant has secured a deal worth approximately £14million for 40 daily episodes of The Rest Is Football during the tournament.
Six-time Emmy winner Joe Celli, whose credits include designing the Oscars, is creating the set.
Floor-to-ceiling windows will showcase the iconic Manhattan location and crowds of tournament supporters below.
Micah Richards, the third regular host, will contribute from Salford due to his BBC commitments.
“He would have loved to have done the World Cup with the BBC, but he’s really pleased we’ve found a way for him to be in New York and part of it,” Tony Pastor, Lineker’s business partner at Goalhanger, told the Daily Mail.
The Netflix venture places Lineker’s show in direct competition with Gary Neville’s Stick to Football, which he presents alongside Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are set to become Netflix’s primary World Cup presenters, broadcasting from a specially constructed studio high above Times Square in New York
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Neville’s team will also broadcast from New York, producing 12 World Cup episodes around their ITV duties.
The rivalry has sparked playful exchanges between the camps.
Richards has joked about “podcast wars” following Carragher’s quip that The Rest Is Football was “the podcast that no one listens to”. Lineker responded by claiming he could not recall the name of their competitors’ programme.
Gary Lineker left the BBC last year
| REUTERSThe World Cup group stages in full | GBNEWS
The Rest Is Football currently holds a commanding position, topping the Apple football podcast chart and leading Stick to Football by three places. It also ranks higher on Spotify’s overall podcast chart.
Despite Netflix lacking rights to broadcast tournament goals, the programme will be entirely conversation-driven.
Goalhanger has recruited Rob Jones, known for his Sky Sports work, to cover England, while multilingual presenter Alex Aljoe will serve as a roving reporter appearing from various locations.
Episodes lasting between 45 and 60 minutes will be pre-recorded late in the American evening to capture reactions to most matches.
“It’s going to take on some of the trappings of high-end TV,” Pastor explained.
Among the early episodes will be footage of Lineker’s return to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, where he played and scored during the legendary 1986 “Hand of God” match against Argentina. It marked his first visit to the ground in 40 years.
Gary Lineker will be compting with Gary Lineker this summer
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Netflix approached Goalhanger seeking a way to retain viewers during major football tournaments, when audiences typically abandon streaming services for live coverage.
“Netflix don’t have a way to entirely capture that audience because, of course, they don’t have the live games,” Pastor told the publication.
“But they want to be part of the conversation and have a daily offering, which gives their audience a reason to turn on each day and not park the channel for six weeks.”
The show’s appeal grew significantly during Euro 2024, when Lineker’s description of England as “s**t” from a Berlin Airbnb dominated headlines and was raised in press conferences with Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane.
Goalhanger has expanded dramatically since its origins as a six-person operation above a south London coffee shop, now backed by LA-based Chernin Group.
