- Gary Lineker is scheduled to make a surprise appearance as a pundit for ITV's 2026 World Cup coverage.
- He will provide punditry for the Group E match between Germany and Ivory Coast, with ITV's broadcast commencing at 8pm BST.
- This move comes despite Lineker's current association with Netflix for his podcast, 'The Rest Is Football', reportedly a £14m deal.
- His appearance on ITV directly competes with his former employer, the BBC, from which he departed last year.
- Lineker's departure from the BBC was expedited following criticism regarding a controversial social media post concerning Zionism, for which he later issued an apology.
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