MLS Cup will remain on Fox for the next four years.
Major League Soccer today announced new four-year linear television agreements in the U.S. and Canada: FOX Sports (FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes) and TelevisaUnivision(Univision/UNIMÁS/TUDN) in the U.S. and TSN and RDS in Canada.
The new linear agreements complement the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple that will begin next season with the league pass.
The four-year agreements with FOX Sports, TelevisaUnivision, TSN and RDS run through a rather significant milestone in North American soccer. FOX Sports, TSN and RDS are also the broadcast homes in the U.S. and Canada for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
For each of the four MLS seasons through 2026, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes will have exclusive English and Spanish language linear broadcast rights to an average of 34 regular season and eight Audi MLS Cup Playoff games. FOX and FOX Deportes will also be the linear broadcast home for MLS Cup in the U.S. for the next four years.
In addition, TelevisaUnivision, FOX Sports, TSN and RDS will be the linear broadcast home for select matches in Leagues Cup – the monumental new chapter for North American soccer beginning in 2023.
It is interesting to see that there won’t be any regular season games on Univision or UniMas starting next season. FC Dallas was always more likely to end up on one of those networks for their national broadcasts than Fox or ESPN. With the limited number of linear games, at best, we’ll likely see an FCD road game in Austin or Nashville make a national broadcast schedule.
There is no official word yet from MLS on whether or not ESPN will remain a linear partner with the league.