If you’re a fan of Leeds United or any other English Football League club and just can’t miss any of the team’s games, you’re in luck if you live in the U.S.
It’s thanks to a new multi-year multiplatform rights deal for the 50 states and its territories between the EFL and Paramount Global’s CBS Sports unit.
The agreement marks the widest distribution of EFL matches ever in the United States.
To be clear, the EFL is not the Premier League, home to such storied clubs as Manchester United, Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
Rather, EFL clubs are comprised of teams relegated to second-tier status and up-and-coming clubs including Wrexham, the club with Ryan Reynolds’ ownership stake.
In the U.S., more than 250 EFL matches will be available across the Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup and Bristol Street Motors Trophy, starting in August and continuing through the end of the 2027-2028 season.
Matches will air on the Paramount+ app; select matches will be available on both the CBS Sports Network and Spanish-language CBS Sports Golazo Network.
CBS Sports EVP/Programming Dan Weinberg commented, “The exciting action and prestige of the EFL, as the oldest league in the world, adds tremendous value to CBS Sports’ premium soccer portfolio. With the EFL’s compelling storylines and growing popularity coupled with our first-class coverage, we look forward to further elevating this league in the U.S. CBS Sports continues to be the premier destination for European football fans in this country with Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network as must-haves with their wide array of soccer properties and robust year-round match coverage.”
Will viewers in the U.S. care about teams such as Burnley, Luton Town, Sunderland, and Queens Park Rangers?
“Appetite for football in the North American markets has been growing year on year, and this partnership with CBS Sports and their leadership in covering the sport marks a significant milestone,” said EFL CEO Trevor Birch. “The EFL is already broadcast to a global audience of 400 million across 182 territories, beaming into more than 250 million homes outside of the UK. We believe that American fans will embrace the excitement, tradition, and competitiveness that is embodied by our EFL competitions. This is an exciting time for the League and our Clubs, and we look forward to sharing our matches with viewers across the United States.”
CBS Sports will announce additional matches and studio coverage details for the start of the 2024-2025 EFL season in the coming weeks.
Relevent Sports represents the EFL as part of a four-year media, content and marketing agreement with the League across the Americas.
