All San Diego Legion and Major League Rugby matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ and select matches on ESPN2 in the 2025 season, MLR announced on Thursday.

The move comes after the MLR-owned The Rugby Network broadcasted all non-national TV matches for free since 2021.

“During our 2024 campaign we grew our viewership by more than 25 percent year over year. We are hyperfocused on increasing our audience and introducing rugby to more American sports fans every year. This relationship with ESPN will give us an opportunity to supercharge that growth,” MLR Commissioner Nic Benson said. “Given the depth of talent across the league, I’m confident we’re headed toward our most exciting season yet. This strategic agreement will enable more of our fans to tune-in for some best-in-class rugby action.”

ESPN+, launched in 2018, broadcasts more than 32,000 games each year for $11.99 per month or $119.99 annually. It’ll be the first paid streaming platform to host MLR matches.

The Rugby Network will continue to host exclusive MLR content and replays of all matches for free after a 72-hour delay.

The league’s ESPN2 broadcast schedule has not yet been announced.

The deal with ESPN replaced the league’s previous media rights deal with the FOX Sports and CBS Sports networks that regularly broadcasted weekly matches the last four seasons.

Each team will continue to have the ability to reach deals with local TV networks to broadcast matches in their market that aren’t on a national TV network.

The MLR season begins on Saturday, Feb. 15 and the Legion will make their season debut on Sunday, Feb. 16 when they host the Seattle Seawolves at Torero Stadium.