More soccer rights are coming to CBS Sports, as the network announced a multi-year deal with the United Soccer League (USL) on Tuesday. The USL falls below MLS on the American soccer ladder and consists of three main divisions on the men’s side: the USL Championship, USL League One, and USL League Two.
Per Tuesday’s release, CBS will air 100 matches annually through 2027 from the USL Championship and USL League One across a variety of platforms, which includes the USL Championship Final on the CBS broadcast network.
Over 20 matches per season will be aired on CBS Sports Network, with 75 airing on the CBS Sports Golazo Network. The Golazo Network is available on several platforms, including Paramount+ and Pluto.
The USL previously had a long-running media rights agreement with ESPN. Per the Sports Business Journal, the USL is also expected to announce a second media rights deal, rumored as a renewal with ESPN. The second rights deal will consist of the other ~500 matches not included in the CBS deal.
Rights for the USL Super League, an upcoming women’s soccer league debuting next summer, will be sold separately. The NWSL, the top women’s soccer league in America, reportedly has new rights deals with Amazon, CBS, ESPN, and Scripps Sports, though those deals have yet to be announced.
Adding these USL games gives CBS some more soccer content throughout the year, and is especially beneficial during the lean summer months when European club soccer is between seasons. The soccer coverage on CBS Sports is truly becoming a year-round venture now, an idea that would have seemed preposterous years ago when CBS had zero soccer rights.
