Gary Lineker’s production company is set to cash in £14million from a deal with Netflix during next summer’s World Cup.
Goalhanger, founded by the former England forward, has agreed an eight-figure deal with the American streaming giant to film The Rest Is Football podcast – working out at more than £2m a week.
It will dwarf the £1.35m annual salary Lineker received for presenting Match of the Day which made him the BBC’s highest earner.
Lineker, 65, was originally due to front BBC’s coverage of the 2026 tournament but was axed from the corporation following accusations of antisemitism after he shared a pro-Palestine Instagram post which featured an emoji of a rat while describing Zionism.
He will present the podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards from a New York studio and it will include reports from inside the England camp and fan zones.
Lineker said the deal is a ‘fantastic opportunity for the three of us to do what we love – talk football every day – but on a truly global stage’.
The Netflix deal will include fees for special guests making appearances on the podcast, according to The Times.
Last month, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Lineker had agreed ‘an extraordinarily lucrative’ deal with Netflix.
The deal represents the company’s first attempt at live football coverage and is viewed as an attempt to challenge YouTube.
The podcast, which has more than seven million monthly streamers, is one of the world’s most popular sports podcasts.
It has previously aired on BBC Sounds but was removed following Lineker’s exit.
Announcing his departure from the BBC in May, Lineker said he reposted material which he later learned contained offensive references.
He added: ‘I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.’
Lineker’s company Goalhanger Podcasts Ltd, which he founded with former BBC executive Jack Davenport and former ITV controller Tony Pastor, made a £3.1m profit in 2024.
Lineker had previously taken The Rest Is Football to DAZN during last summer’s Club World Cup, with the podcasts including rights to show clips from the tournament.
A similar deal was agreed with Spain’s top flight LaLiga in August, with the Rest Is Football becoming the first podcast to land clip rights to a major European league.
The company also owns the popular The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics podcasts.
