The International Dance League has announced a global rights agreement with ESPN for its 2026 Season. Series events will be presented in the U.S. bi-weekly on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET beginning July 28.
The first event of the season, the New York Series at Hammerstein Ballroom, airs July 28, with three additional events rolling out over the summer and concluding at the end of August.
Since its May 2026 season opener, IDL has generated more than 650 million views and impressions. With three sold-out events in New York, Vancouver and Sydney already completed, the league enters the second half of its 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: 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
- Episode 2 – Vancouver: August 10
- Episode 3 – Sydney: August 17
- Episode 4 – Seoul: August 27
Coverage will also be available on ESPN and Disney+ internationally in Australia/New Zealand, the Caribbean and Mexico. Disney+ subscribers in Brazil, South America, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong will also be able to stream the events.
