The former Manchester City and Aston Villa right-back, and England international, Micah Richards, has recently left football fans dumbfounded over his rather ambitious broadcasting commitments. As a pundit, Richards is most known for being a part of the CBS Sports Champions League coverage program, alongside Kate Scott, Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher.
Before the 2026 World Cup, Gary Lineker’s popular The Rest is Football podcast teamed up with Netflix to produce a daily show discussing the developments in the world of football and especially covering news from the international stage. Micah Richards, who has been a regular on the podcast alongside Alan Shearer, continues to be a part of the show, which is now being shot at the Netflix studio in Manhattan.
The tricky bit, though, which has fans confused, is that Richards is also part of the BBC presentation of the World Cup, which is shot from the BBC studio in Salford, England. Fans were particularly stunned to watch Richards in the Rest is Football podcast on the morning of 12th June, only to catch him cover the Canada vs Bosnia Herzegovina match for the BBC.
Is Micah Richards commuting between the BBC's studio in England and the Netflix Rest Is Football studio in Manhattan?
— Samplo Corvodina of Streatham (@TreborRhurbarb) June 12, 2026
While some believed that Richards had taken a flight back to the UK after shooting for Netflix in the morning, others were of the opinion that the Rest is Football podcast was pre-recorded.
Micah Richards confirmed that he is indeed going to shuttle between New York and Salford “every few days” to deliver on his broadcasting commitments to Netflix and the BBC. He is going to travel approximately 3361 miles, or 5409 kilometers, each time he takes a flight between the two nations, which roughly takes about 6 to 7 hours.
The BBC has opted to shoot from Salford this summer instead of traveling to the USA, and have unveiled a massive screen that is to serve as the backdrop, showing the Manhattan skyline at all times. During BBC’s coverage of the Canada-Bosnia game, the backdrop was being shown off, and Richards joked about Gary Lineker being visible on the backdrop. International footballers-turned-pundits Wayne Rooney and Olivier Giroud were also present during the presentation.
Earlier, it was Lineker who took a dig at BBC for shooting from Salford instead of traveling to the USA. Back in 2025, Lineker faced backlash for his tweets, following which he left BBC’s Match of the Day program at the end of the 25/26 Premier League season. Now, Micah Richards is the common factor between the two sides, as he will regularly appear on both Netflix and BBC throughout the summer.
Reacting to the rather hectic schedule that Micah Richards has set for himself for this World Cup, some fans instantly raised environmental concerns, questioning whether flying between continents so frequently should really be supported.
Would be great to know Micah Richards' carbon footprint over the next two months if he's flying between Manchester and New York every few days #CANBIH #BBCWorldCup
— Connor Mountford (@Mountford_14) June 12, 2026
What do you think of Micah Richards’ crazy travel schedule? Let us know in the comments down below.
