The College Swimming League (CSL) and ESPN have announced a multi-year agreement that makes ESPN the exclusive broadcast home of the CSL.
In a press release from the CSL, the new league will feature eight matches, six regular-season matches that will be aired on ESPN+, the paid subscription service, and accessible through the ESPN App. In addition to the regular-season schedule, there will be a 7th and 8th match, which will be the ‘Wild Card’ and Championship matches on November 5 and 6, which are set to be broadcast on ESPNU.
2026 College Swim League Schedule (per CSL press release):
| Match | Date | Where to Watch |
| Match 1 | September 24 | ESPN+ |
| Match 2 | September 25 | ESPN+ |
| Match 3 | October 2 | ESPN+ |
| Match 4 | October 9 | ESPN+ |
| Match 5 | October 16 | ESPN+ |
| Match 6 | October 23 | ESPN+ |
| Match 7 (Wild Card) | November 7 | ESPNU |
| Match 8 (Championship) | November 8 | ESPNU |
Mallory Kenny, the Director of Programming and Acquisitions, shared in the press release that ESPN is making the “College Swimming league a strong addition to ESPN’s collegiate sports lineup.”
“College swimming features outstanding student-athletes, passionate fan bases and exciting competition, making the College Swimming League a strong addition to ESPN’s collegiate sports lineup,” Kenny said in the press release from the CSL. “We’re excited to bring fans every regular-season meet on ESPN+ and the Wild Card and Championship on ESPNU, providing season-long coverage across our platforms.”
Kyle Sockwell, the Chief Operating Officer of the College Swimming League, shared his excitement in the press release, saying that this partnership is “big for the CSL, but it’s even bigger for the sport.”
“When you think of college sports, you think ESPN, so to build a brand-new property from the ground up and earn a live national TV window on ESPNU is huge,” Sockwell said. “This is big for the CSL, but it’s even bigger for the sport and the fans who have waited years to finally see college swimming on TV.”
The CSL’s inaugural season will feature 12 teams: Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Cal, Stanford, Michigan, NC State, Louisville, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn.
Irrelevant without Texas.
-Hook EM
Common W from kyle sockwell
Kudos! That’s not an easy accomplishment for an unproven concept. Great job getting into the door and getting something done. Multi year agreement is also very encouraging though I know those contracts have all sorts of stipulations and ways to back out.
Depends on who the announcers are and the production level
There is only one correct answer to the Announcer question, Kevin Cargil. And if it’s not him I’ll be sadly disappointed.
Couldn’t agree more.
Jury is still out on this, but this looks like an awesome step in the right direction. Wish so much of it wasnt on ESPN+, but baby steps.
I guess Texas and ASU declined the invite?
I’m guessing broadcast rights for those schools and conferences had issues with selling rights that were already contractually agreed on. I’m interested to see if there’s any backlash from the big 10 or ACC for renegotiated rights. If not this might be the way to get swimming higher quality streams more often!!!
It’s an incredibly complex ecosystem, but rest assured, we did it the right way.
It’s swimming, hopefully they realize that it has zero negative impact on their current rights and actually only elevates it in the end.
Having an asset and giving it away to hope to have more in the future isn’t really how sports television rights have worked, maybe this is a sign of change. Swimming will improve you’re right, I’m also hopeful it is a sign of change, but in entertainment industry in general, burying something as your asset to keep it from anyone else is generally the common practice. I also don’t think the numbers of the CSL are going to come close to touching other college sports who currently also want more broadcasting: volleyball, wrestling, track, etc all generally are far more watched on ESPN platforms, so to an executive it’s not gonna push the needle very far. Tell ALL your swimming… Read more »
Na they weren’t invited
Is it being on ESPN+ not a good sign that we’re moving up in the sporting world?
NCAAs, conference meets, and a good amount of invites are already on ESPN+, just me b1tching about paying for it even though I fork over the money every time lol
What are the financial incentives to programs, coaches, and swimmers and how might this create future recruiting advantages for participating schools?