ESPN+ Renews FA Cup Broadcast Rights in US Bringing More Soccer to Venu Sports Streamer
ESPN+ Renews FA Cup Broadcast Rights in US Bringing More Soccer to Venu Sports Streamer
The new extension will see the FA Cup remain on ESPN+ until at least 2027-28.
The oldest and longest-running national soccer competition in world history is staying with ESPN+. This week, ESPN announced it had extended its deal with the English Football Association (FA) — the sport’s governing body in the United Kingdom — to keep offering the Emirates FA Cup matches exclusively on ESPN+. The streamer has served as the home of the FA Cup since 2018, and the latest extension will see the tournament remain an ESPN+ exclusive until the 2027-28 season.
Key Details:
- The FA Cup plays 79 matches per season, and all of them will be ESPN+ exclusives in the United States.
- ESPN+ content will join Venu Sports, the joint venture sports streamer on the way from Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery this fall.
- The streamer carries soccer matches from men’s and women’s professional leagues in the U.S. as well as multiple international competitions.
The extension of ESPN+’s agreement to stream the FA Cup will include all 79 games of the tournament each season. The deal will also bring the FA Community Shield, the annual season-opening match between the latest Emirates FA Cup winners and Premier League titleholders to ESPN+. Manchester City secured its fourth-straight Premier League title on May 19.
“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the FA and to offer fans in the United States the best European cup competitions and domestic leagues in the sport,” said Tim Bunnell, SVP of Programming and Acquisition, ESPN. “The Emirates FA Cup is an iconic, historic, and resonant competition, and offering it as part of the robust content offering on ESPN+ continues to make the platform a must-have for soccer fans.”
The FA Cup was first played in 1871-72, and the tournament is open to all eligible clubs from the top level of English soccer competition all the way down to the ninth. Around 700 professional and non-professional teams compete for the cup each season.
“It’s an exciting time for soccer in the US, with the game’s growth evident for all to see, and the FIFA World Cup in North America on the horizon,” said FA Cup Commercial Director James Gray. “ESPN have been our valued partner for many years, so we’re really happy that they will continue to share the unique stories of the Emirates FA Cup with their audiences until 2028.”
What Other Soccer is Available on ESPN+?
ESPN+ offers a wide variety of soccer content, both from American and international leagues. On the American side, viewers can now find 20 National Women’s Soccer League matches on ESPN+ per year, thanks to a deal struck between the two sides in November 2023. The streamer is also set to offer hundreds of games per year from the United Soccer League, the highest level of competition for men’s soccer in the U.S. outside of the Major League Soccer.
The sports streaming platform is also set to keep NCAA men’s and women’s college soccer championships on its airwaves thanks to a new deal struck in January 2024. ESPN+ also distributes games from Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, Copa Del Rey, and Dutch Eredivisie. As far as national knockout tournaments go, ESPN+ carries DFB Pokal (Germany) and Copa del Rey (Spain) in addition to the FA Cup.
Soccer is just one of dozens of sports available on ESPN+, which also carries the NFL’s “Monday Night Football,” out-of-market NHL games, and much more. ESPN+’s content is also joining Venu Sports, the joint venture sports streaming platform being created by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery when it launches this fall, so subscribers to that service will find FA Cup games and other soccer matches on it for years to come.
ESPN+
ESPN+ is a live TV streaming service that gives access to thousands of live sporting events including NFL, MLB, NHL, UFC, College Football, F1, Bundesliga, PGA Tour, La Liga, and more. Users can see sports documentaries and select archived events. Subscribers can access exclusive articles from top ESPN insiders.