United Soccer League (USL), North America’s largest professional soccer organization, and the leading sports broadcast company, ESPN, have signed a multi-year broadcast renewal agreement.
This arrangement covers the USL Championship and USL League One and will bring over 400 live matches per year to ESPN platforms, starting in 2024.
The sports broadcasting behemoth has featured USL matches for nine years, marking it the longest-running professional soccer league on the network.
ESPN will exclusively air the inaugural League One Cup competition as part of this deal. This includes group-stage matches, playoffs, and the final, all available for streaming on ESPN+.
Chief Commercial Officer Court Jeske, said, “As we enter a new era for the USL with the 2026 World Cup approaching, our focus is to provide fans with more ways to watch than ever before and be the most widely available soccer league in our country. We have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with ESPN during which the USL has grown significantly, and we are incredibly excited to continue this relationship.”
The renewed agreement finalizes the USL’s media package for the 2024 season, alongside CBS Sports and local linear partnerships. The USL will broadcast 35 matches on national linear television across CBS Sports channels and ESPN networks. This marks a substantial increase from nine matches last season.
Moreover, the USL has ensured flexibility for clubs to broadcast a significant number of matches locally. This provides fans with more options to support their clubs, in addition to national linear and streaming partners.
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. ESPN, recently, also renewed its media rights pact with UFC for Australia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the upcoming 2024 USL Championship season marks its 14th edition. Scheduled from March 9 to October 26 for the regular season, it will feature 24 teams divided into two conferences.