The primary spherical of the 12-team School Soccer Playoff will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 19 on ABC and ESPN, adopted by a tripleheader Dec. 20 that begins at midday, the CFP, ESPN and TNT introduced Tuesday.
ESPN, which has owned the unique rights to the playoff since its inception in 2015, is within the second yr of its present expanded bundle, which incorporates all 4 video games of the CFP first spherical with two of the video games sublicensed to TNT Sports activities.
On Dec. 20, ABC and ESPN will broadcast the primary sport of Saturday’s tripleheader at midday, whereas TNT will current video games at 3:30 and seven:30 p.m., respectively. All video games on ESPN networks might be accessible on the ESPN App, whereas the first-round video games airing on TNT and truTV will even be streamed on HBO Max.
Every of the 4 first-round video games might be performed on campuses to be introduced on Choice Day, Dec. 7.
“We’re happy to work with each ESPN and TNT Sports activities to ship these first-round video games to followers throughout the nation in premier viewing home windows,” CFP government director Wealthy Clark mentioned in a information launch. “We additionally recognize the collaboration with the Nationwide Soccer League in coordinating schedules to finest serve followers of each school {and professional} soccer. This all displays the rising attain and pleasure surrounding the brand new playoff format, and we look ahead to showcasing the very best of school soccer on each networks.”
Additional scheduling particulars, together with full MegaCast data, might be introduced later this yr.
Final season, the inaugural CFP first spherical delivered 10.6 million common viewers throughout ESPN networks and TNT Sports activities. The quarterfinals scored multiyear viewership highs, whereas the semifinals produced the most-watched Goodyear Cotton Bowl Basic on document (20.6 million viewers) and the second-most-watched Capital One Orange Bowl in practically 20 years (17.8 million viewers).
The 2025 CFP Nationwide Championship between Ohio State and Notre Dame attracted 22.1 million viewers, the most-watched non-NFL sporting occasion over the previous yr. The showdown peaked with 26.1 million viewers.
It was introduced in April that ESPN will current every of the 4 playoff quarterfinals, the 2 semifinals and the nationwide championship sport on Jan. 19, 2026, at Miami’s Laborious Rock Stadium.