ESPN+ to debut FA Cup whiparound show

For the first time ever, ESPN+ will now implement a whiparound show for the FA Cup. The new show debuts on Saturday, Jan. 7 for the 10 a.m. ET matches. Coverage at the weekend will consist of third round matches for the competition. Viewers can begin accessing the show at 9:50a.m. ET.

All 20 Premier League teams and every EFL Championship side enter the tournament in the third round. The 44 teams in these leagues join 20 other lower level clubs at this stage. Prize money for winning teams is around $120,000 for the third round fixtures.

Competition has immense history

The FA Cup is an annual knockout competition for English/Welsh soccer clubs. It is widely considered to be the top knockout tournament in England and Wales. Introduced in 1871, the FA Cup is also the oldest national soccer competition in the world.

Liverpool are currently the reigning champions of the competition after beating rivals Chelsea on penalties back in May. Arsenal have collected the most FA Cup trophies in history with 14. The Gunners previously won four cup titles between 2014 and 2020.

ESPN+ FA Cup whiparound show allows US fans to follow 10 games at once

ESPN+’s debut coverage of the FA Cup matches comes at the perfect time. There are 10 matches set to be played simultaneously in the 10 a.m. time slot on Saturday, Jan. 7. Among these matches are several games featuring Premier League clubs. Fulham, Brighton & Hove, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest will all be playing at this time.

The new coverage from ESPN’s streaming service is similar to what Paramount+ has done during UEFA Champions League and Europa League group stage play. CBS Sports‘ Golazo Show has become very popular among soccer fans. It allows viewers the ability to catch all of the important action, without missing any goals.

ESPN has held broadcasting rights to the FA Cup since the 2018-19 season. The American sports media giant currently streams all matches of the competition on ESPN+.