ESPN+ has signed a six-year deal to broadcast Germany’s top soccer league in the U.S.
Beginning with the start of the 2020-21 season next August, ESPN+ will stream more than 300 Bundesliga matches each year through the end of the 2025-26 season. Select games will also be broadcast on ESPN’s linear television channels. (Each Bundesliga season spans a total of 306 games.)
The games on ESPN+ will be available both live and on-demand, and feature commentary in both English and Spanish. The agreement also includes the season-kickoff DFL Supercup, rights to second division 2. Bundesliga matches, and on-demand highlights that will feature on the ESPN app and ESPN.com.
“Germany will continue to be an important source of talent for future U.S. national teams and with ESPN we’re incredibly excited to take fans on their journey in the lead up to their home World Cup in 2026,” said Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein in a press release. (The United 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.)
Fox has held the U.S. rights to Bundesliga games since 2015, but that deal expires at the end of the current 2019-20 season. The ESPN deal will run right up to the beginning of the United 2026 World Cup, and significantly boosts the network’s soccer portfolio on ESPN+. The streaming platform already features live matches from Italy’s Serie A, the UEFA Nations League, England’s FA Cup, MLS, and the Dutch Eredivisie. An ESPN+ subscription costs $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year.
