BBC presenter Gabby Logan has declined two invitations to receive her OBE from the Royal Family, prioritising her role leading the BBC's coverage of the 2026 World Cup. The Leeds-born broadcaster, awarded an OBE in the 2026 New Year Honours, has twice postponed the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts with the tournament.
Logan, who will become the first woman to lead BBC coverage of a men's World Cup final, told Hello! magazine: "Unfortunately, the date they sent me was the date of my first match in the World Cup. So I obviously had to turn that one down." A second invitation also clashed with the knockout stages, but a new date has been arranged for autumn.
Logan is currently based in Salford, where the BBC has controversially chosen to base its World Cup studio for the group stage, while rival ITV operates from a temporary base in Brooklyn, New York. Despite the distance from the action, Logan's professionalism is widely acknowledged.
On Friday, Logan will present Canada's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a fixture that would have involved Wales—her father Terry Yorath's former team—had they qualified. Wales were eliminated by the Golden Lilies in a penalty shootout during the UEFA play-offs.
