TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship and League One today announced their 2026 National Broadcast Schedule, with a combined 35 games in the Championship, League One and Prinx Tires USL Cup set to feature on the CBS Television Network & Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and ESPN2 over the nine-month season.
Coverage of the USL Championship, League One and Prinx Tires USL Cup will also feature on ESPN Select – previously known as ESPN+ – and CBS Sports Golazo Network, CBS Sport’s free 24/7 soccer streaming channel available on CBSSports.com,
the CBS Sports App and Pluto TV.
The campaign will conclude with the 2026 USL Championship Final on the CBS Television Network on Saturday, November 21 at 12 p.m. ET.
Top-Level USL Championship Matchups Headline CBS Sports, ESPN2 Schedule
The upcoming campaign will feature 19 regular season USL Championship games on the CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network and ESPN2, led by a network clash featuring defending title-winner Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and defending Players’ Shield holder Louisville City FC at Highmark Stadium on Saturday, July 18 at 12 p.m. ET.
High-profile USL Championship contests across both conferences are also set to feature throughout the CBS Sports Network schedule, with Louisville City set to host the rejuvenated Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. ET and former title-winners Phoenix Rising FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC set to clash at Phoenix Rising Stadium on Wednesday, August 19 at 10 p.m. ET.
The spotlight also falls on the league’s newcomers, with Brooklyn FC set to make its national television debut on Saturday, May 23 as it visits Rhode Island FC at Centreville Bank Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET. Four days later, the spotlight will head to feature Sporting Club Jacksonville when it hosts San Antonio FC at Hodges Stadium at 7:30p.m. ET.
ESPN2’s slate, meanwhile, features a matchup of two recent title-winners when 2024 champions Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC hosts 2022 champions San Antonio FC at Weidner Field on Wednesday, June 4 at 8 p.m. ET, and an Old Guard Shield clash on August 15 when Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC hosts the Charleston Battery at Highmark Stadium at 7 p.m. ET.
Title Contenders, New Arrivals Feature in USL League One
New arrivals and returning contenders feature in USL League One’s regular season slate on CBS Sports Network, with the schedule kicking off with a showdown between the past two League One title-winners on Wednesday, May 13 as One Knoxville SC hosts Union Omaha at Covenant Health Park at 9 p.m. ET.
The league’s newcomers are also set to feature throughout the campaign, including three trips to Athletic Club Boise and its newly renovated 7,500-capacity venue at Expo Idaho. The first arrives on CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, May 13 when FC Naples visits, followed by a high-profile showdown on ESPN2 on Thursday, July 2 when defending title-holder One Knoxville SC heads to the northwest. Boise will also face Portland Hearts of Pine at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 17 on CBS Sports Network.
The spotlight then shifts to Fort Wayne FC and its new 9,200-capacity venue in the city’s downtown for a potentially key late-season showdown with the Richmond Kickers, pitting one of the newest arrivals in the professional ranks against one of America’s most historic clubs on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Prinx Tires USL Cup Final Set for ESPN2 Spotlight
For the first time in its short history, the Prinx Tires USL Cup Final will be featured in a national broadcast, with ESPN2 set to air the culmination of the season-long competition that brings together every club in the USL Championship and League One on Sunday, October 4 at 3 p.m. ET.
The Prinx Tires USL Cup group stage will also feature throughout the national broadcast schedule, beginning on Saturday, April 25, where one of the league’s top rivalries takes center stage as the third edition of the competition kicks off. Defending USL Cup title-holder Hartford Athletic and Rhode Island FC will square off in the latest edition of El Clamico at Trinity Health Stadium on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET.
Two inter-division contests will also feature in the group stage, with the Richmond Kickers and Charleston Battery – currently the two longest-standing professional clubs in the United States – set to meet on Saturday, May 16 at 6 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The group stage culminates on Saturday, July 11 when San Antonio FC plays host to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
CBS Sports Golazo Network, ESPN+ Continue Full-Season Coverage
CBS Sports Golazo Network and ESPN+ will continue to provide full-season coverage of the USL Championship and League One season throughout the year, with a bumper four-game opening weekend of USL Championship action available to stream for free through CBS Sports Golazo Network.
The action kicks off on the opening Saturday of the season with an East-West doubleheader as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC begins its title defense with a visit to Old Guard Shield rival the Charleston Battery at 6 p.m. ET at Patriots Point. The nightcap then features defending Western Conference title-holder FC Tulsa as it heads to Sacramento Republic FC, bringing together the sides that finished 1-2 in the West a
season ago at 10 p.m. ET at Heart Health Park.
2026 USL on CBS & Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network Schedule
April 18 – Charleston Battery vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 3 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
April 25 – Hartford Athletic vs. Rhode Island FC, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network*
May 2 – Detroit City FC vs. Louisville City FC, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 13 – Athletic Club Boise vs. FC Naples, 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 16 – Richmond Kickers vs. Charleston Battery, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network*
May 23 – Rhode Island FC vs. Brooklyn FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 27 – Sporting Club Jacksonville vs. San Antonio FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 30 – Louisville City FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
June 10 – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Charleston Battery, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
June 20 – Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Orange County SC, 10:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 1 – Spokane Velocity FC vs. Forward Madison FC, 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 15 – Sporting Club Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 17 – Athletic Club Boise vs. Portland Hearts of Pine, 9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 18 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Louisville City FC, 12 p.m. ET, CBS Television Network & Paramount+
July 22 – Lexington SC vs. Oakland Roots SC, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Aug. 5 – Richmond Kickers vs. New York Cosmos, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Aug. 8 – Monterey Bay FC vs. New Mexico United, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Aug. 19 – Phoenix Rising FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Aug. 22 – Orange County SC vs. FC Tulsa, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Sept. 2 – Fort Wayne FC vs. Richmond Kickers, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Nov. 21 – 2026 USL Championship Final, 12 p.m. ET, CBS Television Network & Paramount+
2026 USL on ESPN2 Schedule
June 17 – Forward Madison FC vs. Fort Wayne FC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
June 24 – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. San Antonio FC, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 2 – Athletic Club Boise vs. One Knoxville SC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 11 – San Antonio FC vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2*
July 25 – Detroit City FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Aug. 15 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Charleston Battery, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Sept. 20 – Sacramento Republic FC vs. San Antonio FC, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Oct. 4 – 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup Final, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN2
