Gary Lineker is to make a shock appearance for ITV at the World Cup on Saturday.

In what would seem to be a two-fingered salute to his former bosses at the BBC, the former Match Of The Day anchor will work for its rival broadcaster in what insiders are describing as ‘a guest appearance’ at the Germany versus Ivory Coast clash in Canada.

As yet, it is unclear how that will look, although reports he will play a punditry role have been played down. ITV's coverage from Toronto will start at 8pm, with the Group E match kicking off an hour later.

Lineker had been due to sign off on 26 years with the BBC at the World Cup.

However, he endured an abrupt exit last May following extensive criticism over political social media posts which included what he said was the unwitting sharing of a post on Instagram which featured a depiction of a rat – an image associated with antisemitism.

Lineker signed a deal with Netflix worth a reported £14m to host The Rest Is Football podcast, which is produced by his firm Goalhanger.

Each day, the 65-year-old has been airing episodes with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards from a studio in Times Square.

The BBC, meanwhile, is not planning to send pundits to the US until the knockout stages and does not have a studio in the country.

ITV have spared no expense, broadcasting from a stunning location with a dramatic Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

The move may come as a surprise however, the former England striker is not thought have any restrictions in his Netflix deal which would stop him from working for ITV.

Lineker, who was the BBC’s highest earner of all time, apologised ‘unreservedly’ following the outrage over the rat post but would go on to leave the corporation at the end of the 2024-25 season. Rather than presenting, he is expected to act as a pundit for the Saturday night fixture.

ITV boast a strong team which includes the likes of Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane.

Meanwhile, ITV would appear to be winning what appears to be a lop-sided battle with the cost-cutting BBC.

Viewing figures show they had four of the five top audiences, including the 15.4m peak and 10 million average that saw England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia – the highest number in the UK this year. ITV could also boast the second highest figure from the first round of group games with the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa delivering a peak of 7.7 million and average of 6.6 million.

The BBC’s coverage of France versus Senegal, attracted a peak of 6.7m and match average of 5.9m. ITV’s coverage of Spain v Cape Verde and Netherlands v Japan completed the top five.

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