Rooney is back on the Match of the Day rotation for the new Premier League campaign, joining Alan Shearer, Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Ellen White, Steph Houghton, Danny Murphy and Ashley Williams in the line-up the BBC unveiled ahead of the season.
Ashley Young, Robbie Keane, Toby Alderweireld and former Tottenham and Brentford manager Thomas Frank are the four new additions to the pundit rotation. Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan return as the presenting team, continuing the post-Gary Lineker era after the long-serving host stepped down at the end of the 2024-25 season.
From the dugout to the studio
Rooney’s move into broadcasting has hardened into a career choice rather than a stopgap. He first joined BBC Sport as a pundit in February 2024, shortly after his Birmingham City dismissal, working on the FA Cup fifth-round tie between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.
Months after leaving Plymouth Argyle at the end of 2024, he agreed a two-year Match of the Day deal reported at £800,000 in July 2025, with an option for a further two-year extension.
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His duties broadened again in the summer, when he was named part of the BBC’s studio team for the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, appearing alongside Shearer, Richards and Hart in coverage that ran through to Spain’s 1-0 win over Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium.
The Wayne Rooney Show
Punditry is only part of the package. Rooney also fronts his own weekly BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, launched ahead of the 2025-26 season on BBC Sounds, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport YouTube channel, with Kelly Somers and Kae Kurd as co-hosts.
Rooney marked the launch on social media.
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BBC Sport framed the podcast as part of a wider push around its football output for the season.
“This season, we’re not just covering the games. We’re following the fans,” Director of BBC Sport Alex Kay-Jelski said at the launch, adding that coverage would be “bolder, deeper, and more connected than ever before”.
Management on the back burner
The Rooney reset lands after a difficult run in the dugout. His two English jobs, at Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, both ended in dismissals inside a year, with the Plymouth stint cut short on 31 December 2024. He has not taken a coaching role since.
Match of the Day continues in its Saturday-night slot on BBC One as the 2026-27 Premier League season plays out.
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