KANSAS CITY—The Kansas City Current and Scripps Sports announced that Ion will have domestic broadcast rights to the 2026 Teal Rising Cup women’s soccer tournament.
As part of the deal, Scripps’ Ion broadcast network will broadcast all four matches of the four-team women's soccer tournament and provide supplementary programming set to elevate the prestigious global event.
Building off the successful first edition of the event last summer, the 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, will take place at CPKC Stadium—the first stadium in the world purpose-built for women’s professional sports—on April 9 and 12 with doubleheaders on both matchdays. The four-team tournament includes reigning National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Shield winner Kansas City Current, Mexican side Club América from Liga MX Femenil and Brazilian Serie A clubs Corinthians SC and SE Palmeiras.
Throughout the tournament, Kansas City Current broadcasters Jillian Carroll Letrinko and Dave Borchardt will call the action on Ion, which is available on pay TV, connected TV and free, ad-supported streaming platforms and over-the-air in 126 million homes.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Ion as the domestic broadcast home of the 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri,” said Kansas City Current vice president, communications Dani Welniak. “Allowing this tournament the opportunity to shine on a national stage is an opportunity our organization values significantly, and we are grateful to Scripps Sports for providing these globally recognized clubs and athletes with the platform they deserve. We are excited to give fans more opportunities to engage with our club throughout this historic, expanded Teal Rising Week.”
The event kicks off Thursday, April 9, at 5 p.m. CT when Club América takes on Palmeiras in the opening match. The KC Current then faces Corinthians SC at approximately 8 p.m. CT in match two. Action resumes at CPKC Stadium on Sunday, April 12, with the third-place game starting at 5 p.m. CT. The Teal Rising Cup champion will be determined in a battle between the winners of match one and match two at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
In addition to being broadcast nationally on Ion , all four Teal Rising Cup matches will be simulcast locally on Scripps’ The Spot – Kansas City 38, the official local TV station of the Teal Rising Cup.
"We’re excited to elevate and amplify the reach of the global soccer community by bringing this extraordinary showcase of world-class talent to the national stage," said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. "We're honored to broadcast the 2026 Teal Rising Cup on Ion and shine a spotlight on these elite teams and remarkable athletes from around the world."
All four Teal Rising Cup matches will also be broadcast over the air in English on 90.9 The Bridge and in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the KC Current App.
