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ESPN to Present the International Dance League for 2026 Season

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The 2026 Season will be showcased on ESPN2 bi-weekly at 7 p.m. ET beginning in July, capturing events in New York, Vancouver, Seoul, and Sydney

Today, the International Dance League (IDL) and ESPN announced a global rights agreement for the 2026 Season. The series events will be presented in the U.S bi-weekly on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET starting on July 28, 2026. The agreement underscores the growing global appetite for dance as a competitive sport and positions IDL for expanded visibility among mainstream sports audiences.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260727828837/en/

International Dance League (IDL) schedule on ESPN2.

International Dance League (IDL) schedule on ESPN2.

The first event of the 2026 Season, the New York Series at Hammerstein Ballroom, airs on July 28 on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. with three additional events rolling out over the summer, concluding at the end of August. IDL is building the pipeline for the next generation of global dance stars and emerging talent on a global stage.

Since its May 2026 season opener, IDL has generated more than 650M views and impressions, highlighting the league’s rapid global growth. With three sold-out events in New York, Vancouver, and Sydney already completed, IDL enters the second half of the season with teams preparing for the final regular season events and championship finale.

“Dance already has one of the most passionate fanbases in the world.” said Connor Lim, CEO and Co-founder of IDL. “They watch, they share, they show up, and the engagement on social proves that. This agreement provides a chance to show a broader sports audience that dance is both an art form and a legitimate sport, on a global scale."

IDL is the first global professional dance league, structured as a traditional sports league with teams, a regular season, and a championship format on the global stage. It features six elite teams from around the world, competing across multiple events for a season title featuring Brotherhood (Vancouver, Canada), Quick Style (Oslo, Norway), Jam Republic (Singapore), GRV (Los Angeles, USA), Royal Family (Auckland, New Zealand) and 1MILLION (Seoul, South Korea). The format aims to turn dance into a sustainable career pathway with contracts, global fanbases, and high-production, multi-city competition.

IDL Schedule on ESPN
All dates, times, and markets are subject to change. All events begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Episode 1 — NYC: July 28 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
Episode 2 — Vancouver: August 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
Episode 3 — Sydney: August 17 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
Episode 4 — Seoul: August 27 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Coverage will also be available on ESPN and Disney+ internationally in Australia/New Zealand, the Caribbean and Mexico. Additionally, Disney+ subscribers in Brazil, South America, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will be able to stream the events.

For updates on IDL, schedules and exclusive content visit https://www.idl.pro/.

About IDL
IDL is the world's first global professional dance league. 6 of the world's best dance teams from the USA, Canada, South Korea, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Norway compete across 5 international events, earning points toward the 2026 season championship. For the first time, these teams have professional contracts, real standings, live global broadcasts, and the visibility that dance deserves. Since the season opener in May 2026, IDL has generated over 650M views/impressions worldwide. Dance is our sport.

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited plan subscription, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able shortform vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package from certain providers. Bundling options available for fans include a Disney+, Hulu, ESPN offering that provides a one-of-a-kind streaming package combining sports with branded and general entertainment. For more visit stream.espn.com.

“Dance already has one of the most passionate fanbases in the world.” said Connor Lim. “They watch, they share, they show up, and the engagement on social proves that."

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