UPDATED: BeIN Sports to broadcast Carolina Challenge Cup nationally

Sports broadcaster BeIN Sports began advertising for the Carolina Challenge Cup toward the end of last week.

Despite the ad, this remains unconfirmed by the Battery. However, if true, it could mean big things for the club and the tournament moving forward. National exposure for the Battery will be massive, as the USL’s ESPN contract was for two games a week on ESPN and SiriusXM last year, and while BeIN is exclusive to satellite providers, it can be seen as a real coup for the club, similar to FC Cincinnati’s US Open Cup match against the Chicago Fire last year.

The round robin competition began in 2004, when it was won by Columbus Crew. The Crew also won last year’s edition, and will return to defend the title in February, with Minnesota and Atlanta also making the trip to the lowcountry ahead of the 2018 MLS season.

BeIN Sports most notably have the American broadcast rights for La Liga of Spain, France’s Ligue 1, and the Italian Serie A, but have previously held rights to the English Football League and the English League Cup. The network also hosts various motorsports and college American football.

UPDATE: The Battery have now announced the deal. BeIN will broadcast the tournament live across all platforms.

Source: BeIN Sports