Match of the Day freshens up: Alderweireld, Keane, Young and Thomas Frank join BBC's punditry team
Match of the Day is adding four new voices to its sofa this season. Toby Alderweireld, Robbie Keane, Ashley Young and Thomas Frank will all serve as pundits when the BBC's flagship football highlights show returns BBC Sport.
Each brings a different story. Alderweireld, the Belgian defender who won the Premier League with Tottenham's near-miss side of the late 2010s, offers a centre-back's eye. Keane scored 126 Premier League goals across six clubs and knows where the net is from every angle. Young, still turning out at 40, has played for Manchester United, Inter Milan and Aston Villa — a career spanning nearly two decades at the top. Frank, who took Brentford from the Championship into the Premier League and kept them there, gives the manager's perspective.
The BBC is also launching four new YouTube shows on its BBC Football channel: FANS², The Truth About Football, Golden Goal, and Football Hub BBC Sport. A new Sport Fan Collective will bring together supporters from all 20 Premier League clubs, embedding their voices in coverage across the season.
BBC director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski said the corporation is "putting fans more firmly at the heart of the game" this season BBC Sport.
The numbers behind the coverage are vast. BBC Radio 5 Live will broadcast live commentary of 209 Premier League matches, plus Champions League nights, the Scottish Premiership, the FA Cup, the men's League Cup and internationals BBC Sport. On television and iPlayer, the BBC will show two FA Cup ties per round and one Bundesliga match every week. Highlights and clips will run from La Liga, Serie A, the Europa League, and the home nations' international fixtures.
Kelly Somers' The Football Interview returns across iPlayer, YouTube and the BBC Sport website, with a Saturday lunchtime slot on BBC One at 12:45 BST BBC Sport. On the preview front, Kelly Cates is joined by Wayne Rooney, Danny Murphy and Julien Laurens for a Premier League preview show on BBC Sport's YouTube channel BBC Sport YouTube.
Looking further ahead, BBC Sport will also deliver always-on coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across YouTube, TikTok and social channels, with live match coverage for the first time BBC Media Centre.
For fans, this means more entry points into the game — not just the Saturday night highlights but weekday YouTube clips, fan-led debate, radio commentary through the week and, come next summer, a World Cup that follows you from the television to your phone feed. Whether you watch every minute or just dip in on a Monday morning, the BBC is betting there is a screen and a format with your name on it.
