ESPN, a leading sports broadcast company, has secured a four-year extension of its media rights deal with the Football Association (FA) for the Emirates FA Cup.
This ensures exclusive coverage of the historic knockout tournament in the United States from the 2024–2025 season through the 2027-2028 season.
This agreement strengthens ESPN’s longstanding partnership with the FA and solidifies ESPN+ as the go-to platform for American viewers to experience the magic of the FA Cup. Every match, from the opening First Round to the prestigious Final at the Wembley Stadium in London, will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Tim Bunnell, Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisition, ESPN, said, “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. 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.”
James Gray, The FA’s Commercial Director, added, “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. 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.”
Hillary Mandel, Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial, Americas for IMG’s Media Business, added, “The Emirates FA Cup remains a key event on ESPN+ and this deal demonstrates the ongoing appeal for one of soccer’s most prestigious cup competitions, which continues to grow. We’re pleased to extend the successful partnership with ESPN so fans in the US can continue to watch their favorite teams and players.”
Building on this commitment to domestic and international soccer, ESPN recently signed a multi-year broadcast renewal agreement with the United Soccer League (USL), North America’s largest professional soccer organisation.
The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications co-owned ESPN, a renowned American sports channel, reaches over 200 countries with regional channels in various parts of the world. Recently, ESPN also renewed its media rights pact with the UFC for Australia and New Zealand.
The 2024 FA Cup is set for a second consecutive Manchester Derby as the defending champions Manchester City FC (MCFC) will take on their arch-rivals Manchester United FC (MUFC) on May 25 at 7:30 PM IST.