- Deal continues 79 matches per season streamed Exclusively on ESPN+; Four season-opening FA Community Shield contests
- Repeat Manchester Derby Emirates FA Cup Final on Saturday, exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish
ESPN has reached an agreement with the English Football Association (FA) for the media rights to the oldest and longest-running national cup competition in soccer, the Emirates FA Cup, in the United States for the next four seasons, 2024-’25 through 2027-’28. The agreement extends ESPN+’s position as the exclusive home of 79 Emirates FA Cup matches each season, beginning with the First Round and running through to the Final at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The agreement includes the FA Community Shield, the annual season-opening match between the latest Emirates FA Cup winners and Premier League titleholders which will also stream exclusively on ESPN+.
ESPN+ has been the exclusive home of the Emirates FA Cup in the United States since the 2018-’19 season. The renewal agreement was brokered by the competition’s media rights partner in the United States, IMG.
Highlights:
- All 79 matches produced by the English FA each season will stream live exclusively on ESPN+ in English and select matches in Spanish
- The FA Community Shield match at the start of each season
- Additional content will feature across ESPN+ and other ESPN platforms, including Emirates FA Cup preview shows, branded highlights shows, and live coverage of Emirates FA Cup draws
- Extensive Emirates FA Cup highlights across ESPN studio news and information programming.
“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, Senior Vice President, 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.”
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.”
The Emirates FA Cup on ESPN+ continues an impressive collection of soccer content available on the No. 1 sports streaming platforms in the United States. The iconic knock-out competition in England joins the DFB Pokal (Germany) and Copa del Rey (Spain) to complete a triad of domestic cup competitions among the sport’s top four leagues available on ESPN+. In addition, ESPN+ is the U.S. home to matches from LALIGA, Bundesliga, the Dutch Eredivisie, Supercopa de España, and more.
On Saturday, May 25, ESPN+ will exclusively carry the second-straight Manchester Derby Emirates FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United, live from Wembley Stadium. English-language coverage will begin at 9 a.m. ET with ESPN FC pregame show (kickoff at 10 a.m.). Jon Champion and Jim Beglin (English), Fernando Palomo and Eduardo Biscayart (Spanish) will call the match.
About the Emirates FA Cup
The Emirates FA Cup is an annual knock-out competition in English soccer. First played in the 1871-72 season, it has become the longest-running national knockout soccer competition in the world, and around 700 professional and non-professional teams compete for the cup each season.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 32,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices. For more visit the ESPN+ Press Kit.
About IMG
IMG is a global sports, events and representation company. It is a leader in rights management, multi-channel content production and distribution, consultancy and fan engagement; owns, produces and commercially represents hundreds of live events and experiences; and manages licensing programs for the world’s best-known brands and trademarks. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
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