Disney+ To Stream March Madness Across Europe And South Africa
As Disney continues to expand its live sports offerings on Disney+ around the world, it has been announced that it will add coverage of the iconic March Madness event, which celebrates the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, to Disney+ in Europe and South Africa. This marks an expansion of ESPN’s global NCAA rights agreement onto the Disney+ platform.
From 17th 2026 March through 7th April 2026, Disney+ customers can enjoy all 134 NCAA tournament games live as part of their Disney+ subscription. With this addition, fans across Europe and South Africa will be able to enjoy even more of ESPN’s premier U.S. sports programming on Disney+. Customers in South Africa will be able to watch select NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament games live via ESPN channels on Disney+.
March Madness is a yearly highlight in U.S. college basketball, featuring single-elimination tournaments with 68 teams each for the men’s and women’s championships. The event builds suspense from the opening rounds to the highly anticipated Final Four, with teams announced on Selection Sunday, held on 15 March 2026. The University of Florida Gators and University of Connecticut Huskies hold last year’s men’s and women’s titles, respectively.
Diego Londono, SVP Networks & Sports EMEA at The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement regarding this new sports coverage being added to Disney+:
“Bringing March Madness to Disney+ customers across Europe reflects the ongoing collaboration between ESPN and the NCAA, and the commitment both organisations share to grow college basketball internationally. ESPN’s decades of experience showcasing championship moments allows us to foster greater appreciation for collegiate athletics, and we’re thrilled to help connect more fans to the passion and tradition of the men’s and women’s tournaments on Disney+.”
Dan Gavitt, NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball, added:
“Collaborating with ESPN and Disney+ allows us to share the excitement of March Madness with a global audience that already values college basketball. The NCAA tournament is the ultimate stage for student-athletes, and broadening access to that experience helps grow appreciation for and interest in the game worldwide.”
This expansion harnesses ESPN’s long-standing NCAA rights portfolio, which includes more than 40 championship events, and reflects the integration of college sports across The Walt Disney Company platforms. With over three decades as the exclusive broadcaster of Women’s March Madness, ESPN has driven sustained audience growth in the U.S. and internationally, and now brings that expertise to Disney+ across Europe and South Africa.
While Disney+ has already added an ESPN hub to Disney+ in many countries across Latin America, along with the United States and Australia, with March Madness joining Disney+’s European sports lineup, alongside the UEFA Women’s Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League in Denmark and Sweden, and LALIGA in the UK and Ireland, hopefully it won’t be too long until the ESPN hub is fully incorporated into Disney+ in more countries across Europe and South Africa.
What do you think of this new sports coverage? Let me know on social media!
