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TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League (USL) announced Monday its national broadcast schedule for the 2025 USL Championship and League One seasons. Split between the league’s two national media rights partners, CBS Sports and ESPN, the 2025 campaign will feature a record-tying 35 combined regular season and postseason matches aired on national television.
The 2025 national broadcast package will feature three matches on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+, 22 matches on CBS Sports Network and eight matches on ESPN2.
For the first time, every USL Championship team will be featured in a nationally televised broadcast during the regular season, with 18 of the league’s 24 clubs featured in multiple national broadcasts. Additionally, seven USL League One clubs will be featured in one of four nationally televised regular season contests – both records for the rapidly growing league. In total, 31 of the 38 USL men’s professional venues will be featured in a national broadcast.
The remaining USL Championship, League One and Jägermeister Cup matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ or the CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Additionally, TelevisaUnivision will continue to air select matches on TUDN, the nation’s leading Spanish-language sports network. The league’s partnership with SiriusXM has also been extended to air select matches throughout the season, furthering the USL’s commitment to accessibility to fans across the country.
The USL’s visibility and profile has risen rapidly as a product of recent multi-year agreements with CBS Sports and ESPN. In 2024, the USL Championship and League One were featured in 35 nationally televised matches, highlighted by three matches on the CBS Television Network. The USL Championship’s three network broadcasts last season reached more than 1 million viewers, including the 2024 USL Championship Final which garnered the largest television audience in league history with 431,000 viewers on the CBS Television Network.
RECENT TITLE-WINNERS, NORTHEASTERN RIVALRY SET FOR CBS
The USL’s national television broadcast package will commence on April 6 as former USL Championship title-winners San Antonio FC (2022) and Phoenix Rising FC (2023) face off on the CBS Television Network at the 8,300-seat Toyota Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.
Then on July 19, defending Eastern Conference title-holders Rhode Island FC will return to the CBS Television Network to face New England rival Hartford Athletic at the newly completed Stadium at Tidewater Landing, a 10,500 soccer-specific stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.
The USL’s national television slate will conclude on Saturday, Nov. 22 with the 2025 USL Championship Final airing on the CBS Television Network.
REGIONAL RIVALRIES, INTERCONFERENCE CLASHES HIGHLIGHT CBS SPORTS NETWORK SLATE
CBS Sports Network will air a network-record 22 USL matches in 2025 – 16 USL Championship regular season matches, four USL League One regular season matches and two postseason contests, including some notable high-profile matchups and rivalries.
On May 4, Oakland Roots SC hosts Sacramento Republic FC at the historic Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, renewing one of the Championship’s heated rivalries. That’s followed on July 4 by a clash between reigning Championship title-holder Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC welcomes reigning Players’ Shield winner Louisville City FC at scenic Weidner Field in a key interconference clash, while two days later Southern Derby rivals Charleston Battery and North Carolina FC square off at Patriots Point, bringing together two of the highest-powered attacks in the Championship in 2024.
USL LEAGUE ONE TAKES SPOTLIGHT ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK
Entering the biggest campaign in its seven-season history, USL League One will be featured in a record four nationally televised matches, all on CBS Sports Network.
In addition to FC Naples’ national television debut against South Georgia Tormenta FC on August 6, audiences will be reintroduced to three of the league’s most intense atmospheres – the Richmond Kickers’ City Stadium, Forward Madison FC’s Breese Stevens Field and Spokane Velocity FC’s ONE Spokane Stadium. All four matches will feature at least one of the league’s five expansion sides kicking off this season.
NEW VENUE, EMERGING RIVALRIES TO FEATURE ON ESPN2
For the 10th consecutive season, the USL will be featured nationally on ESPN with eight USL Championship regular season matches set to air on ESPN2 and two matches to be confirmed on the family of ESPN networks at a future date.
Key matches on ESPN2 include Lexington SC’s national television debut as the USL Championship newcomers host defending title-holders Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at their new, 7,500-seat Lexington SC Stadium on June 20, while the Friday Night Lights will arrive at Keyworth Stadium on July 18 as Detroit City FC plays host to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in one of the league’s emerging rivalries.
For full details on the 2025 USL Championship, League One and USL Jägermeister Cup schedules, visit www.uslchampionship.com and www.uslleagueone.com.
2025 USL CHAMPIONSHIP AND USL LEAGUE ONE NATIJONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
April 6 – San Antonio FC vs. San Antonio FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC 4 p.m. ET, CBS Television Network
April 13 – Birmingham Legion FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
April 23 – San Antonio FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 8:30 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network
May 4 – Oakland Roots SC vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 28 – San Antonio FC vs. FC Tulsa, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
May 28 – Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC, 10:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
June 18 – Forward Madison FC vs. Westchester SC, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
June 20 – Lexington SC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
June 25 – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Indy Eleven, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 2 – Birmingham Legion FC vs. Charleston Battery 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 4 – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Louisville City FC, 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 6 – Charleston Battery vs. North Carolina FC, 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 11 – Monterey Bay FC vs. Orange County SC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 13 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Loudoun United FC, CBS Sports Network
July 18 – Detroit City FC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 19 – Rhode Island FC vs. Hartford Athletic, 4 p.m. ET, CBS Television Network
July 29 – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Miami FC, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
July 30 – Hartford Athletic vs. New Mexico United, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
July 30 – Orange County SC vs. Phoenix Rising FC, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
August 6 – FC Naples vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
August 15 – North Carolina FC vs. Detroit City FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
August 16 – Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Phoenix Rising FC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2
August 20 – Orange County SC vs. San Antonio FC, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
September 7 – Spokane Velocity FC vs. Westchester SC, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
September 17 – Richmond Kickers vs. Portland Hearts of Pine, 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
September 21 – Indy Eleven vs. Birmingham Legion FC, 5 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
September 28 – New Mexico United vs. Lexington SC, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
October 1 – Sacramento Republic FC vs. Orange County SC, 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
October 5 – Rhode Island FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
October 5 – Sacramento Republic FC vs. Charleston Battery, 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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