The United Soccer League announced today that the 2018 USL Cup has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. ET. The 2018 USL Cup, the league’s championship game, will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed live on the ESPN App, marking the third consecutive season that the league’s champion will be crowned on an ESPN network.
In addition, ESPN International will stream the 2018 USL Cup on ESPN networks in 50 countries and territories covering more than 45 million television homes, including coverage in Oceania, Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.
"We are absolutely thrilled to bring our championship game to fans around the world," said USL President Jake Edwards. "This has been the biggest season in league history and the increased visibility we have seen through our expanded partnership with ESPN this year has been tremendous. We expect to have another compelling championship game for fans to enjoy this November."
The 2018 USL Cup Playoffs kicked off on the weekend of Oct. 19-21 with the Eastern and Western Conference Quarterfinals, with the eight-team fields in the Eastern and Western Conference competing in a single-elimination knockout format that sees the higher seed play host to each contest. The 2018 USL Cup will bring together the two conference champions, with the side that held the better regular-season record earning the right to host.
The USL Cup has aired on ESPNU for the past two seasons but now moves into prime time on ESPN2. The USL’s media rights agreement with ESPN runs through the 2019 season.
The broadcast will again be produced by USL Productions, the standalone division of the league that has been the exclusive and premier producer/provider of all USL content across linear and digital platforms throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons. USL Productions is run in association with VISTA Worldlink, a full-service media bridge connecting world-class customer service to the sports (leagues, conferences, teams and networks), entertainment and news industries worldwide.
About USL: The USL is one of the most successful professional soccer leagues in the world, reaching a population of more than 84 million and fueling the growth of the game across North America. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the USL provides unparalleled club support with a growing team of more than 50 professionals across 17 departments, ranging from operations to marketing, communications and sponsorship.
The USL has a national media partnership with ESPN, wherein all league matches are broadcast on ESPN+, ESPN3 and across linear channels. The league also operates USL Productions, which includes a state-of-the-art facility that produces and distributes more than 500 league matches and more than 1,000 hours of original content to national partners, local affiliates and international markets throughout the 2018 season.
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