US Soccer agrees to 8-year broadcast deal with Turner Sports

Published Mar. 1, 2022 4:38 p.m. ET

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CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached an eight-year multimedia rights agreement with Turner Sports that will put broadcasts of both men's and women's national team games on TNT, TBS and HBO Max.

The broadcast deal announced Tuesday starts in 2023 and runs through 2030. Turner Sports is a division of Warner Media.

The primary home for national team games will be HBO Max, which will livestream more than 20 matches each year, with about half of those games also broadcast on TNT or TBS.

U.S. Soccer's current broadcast deal with ESPN, FOX and Univision expires at the end of this year.

The agreement does not include the upcoming men's World Cup in Qatar, the 2023 Women's World Cup, or the men's 2026 World Cup. FOX Sports owns those broadcast rights.

But it will include some future domestic World Cup qualifying matches, friendlies, send-off and victory tour matches and domestic tournaments like the recent SheBelieves Cup.

“During our discussions it was clear how dedicated they are to growing soccer in the United States, especially their commitment to expand the women’s game. As we build towards 2026 and beyond, we have found a fantastic partner to spotlight the stories of our women’s and men’s national teams," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement about the new deal.

A Spanish-language broadcast partner has not been announced.

U.S. Soccer ended its relationship with Soccer United Marketing last year, allowing the federation to independently negotiate broadcast rights.

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