ESPN is bringing back one of its weirdest and most beloved traditions. ESPN8: The Ocho returns August 6-9 for its 10th anniversary, with 74.5 hours of offbeat sports, returning favorites, and plenty of new competitions across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and the ESPN App.
What to Know About ESPN8: The Ocho 2026
This year’s lineup includes 23 new competitions, along with returning staples like Ultimate Frisbee, Cornhole and Slippery Stairs. Fans can also expect live action from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, which will serve as the event’s central hub for a second straight year and host 10 live competitions on Friday, August 7.
Some of the standout events making their Ocho debut this year include Hacky Sack 2026 Championship, Weiner Dog Races, Great Bahamian Crab Races and Bare-Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars. Opening night will also feature Red Bull Spin Off: DC, Corgi Races at Emerald Downs and the Blackbird Cup from the Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League.
The Savannah Bananas will also make their return to primetime when they face the Loco Beach Coconuts in a two-game series at Target Field on Friday and Saturday night, with both games airing at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. ESPN2 will also air two Ocho classics on Friday night, including Slippery Stairs and a screening of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, the movie that helped inspire the whole thing.
How ESPN8: The Ocho Became An Annual Tradition
What began as a fictional ESPN8 channel from Dodgeball has grown into a multi-day celebration of sports that rarely get a national spotlight. Part of the appeal of The Ocho is that it never takes itself too seriously.
Over the past decade, it has evolved from a one-day stunt into a broader event with live coverage, streaming access and fan experiences. ESPN has also noted in past year-end coverage that The Ocho’s charm comes from the network’s willingness to be bold, quirky and self-aware, and that’s a big reason why fans keep coming back.
For many viewers, The Ocho feels a little like ESPN letting sports fans in on the joke, but then finding out the joke is actually fun to watch. The now decade-long tradition has room for absurdity, real competition, skill and a genuine sense that just about any sport can have a moment if someone gives it the right stage. That mix has helped turn a sports-comedy movie reference into an annual event with true staying power.
In fact, ESPN has also continued to expand The Ocho beyond the original TV stunt. In December 2023, ESPN launched ESPN8: The Ocho as its first FAST channel, giving fans a 24/7 stream of seldom-seen sports. The launch made it clear that the company was leaning into the idea that “The Ocho” should be a little bigger, a little stranger, and a lot more fun than the average sports window.
Now that The Ocho turns 10, it’s proving that it is no longer just a joke from a 2000s movie but a real part of ESPN’s summer schedule.
ESPN8: The Ocho 2026 Schedule
Watch all of ESPN8: The Ocho 2026 with ESPN Unlimited
| Date | Time | ESPN ESPN Unlimited | ESPN2 ESPN Unlimited | ESPNU ESPN Unlimited |
| Thu, Aug 6 | 7 p.m. | Red Bull Spin Off: DC | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | Red Bull Soapbox Race: Denver | |||
| 8 p.m. | T-Rex World Championship Races at Emerald Downs | |||
| 8:30 p.m. | 2026 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs | |||
| 9 p.m. | Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby | |||
| 9:30 p.m. | NuLu Bock Fest Goat Racing Championships | |||
| 10 p.m. | Great Bahamian Crab Races | |||
| 10:30 p.m. | 2026 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves | |||
| 11 p.m. | 2026 Blackbird Cup – Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League | |||
| Fri, Aug 7 | Midnight | National Ball Hockey League: 2025 Tier 1 Championship | ||
| 12:30 a.m. | ||||
| 1 a.m. | 2026 Golden Tee Golf World Championship | |||
| 1:30 a.m. | Stern Pro Circuit Heads-Up Pinball Invitational | |||
| 2 a.m. | Death Diving League – World Tour 2025 – Arendal | |||
| 2:30 a.m. | ||||
| 3 a.m. | Diving Chess: Duel in the Depths (re air) | |||
| 3:30 a.m. | NHRL Prime Time Robot Fighting (re air) | |||
| 4 a.m. | NTPA Unlimited Pulling Tractors (re air) | |||
| 4:30 a.m. | Grass Drag Racing Season Opener (re air) | |||
| 5 a.m. | 2025 Golden Tee Golf World Championships (re air) | |||
| 5:30 a.m. | FlingGolf: LFC-5 Longest FlingShot Championship (re air) | |||
| 6 a.m. | 2026 National Putting Tour’s “The Putting Zone Shootout” | |||
| 6:30 a.m. | IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships | |||
| 7 a.m. | Bike Polo Championship Presented by Legacy Pro Sports | |||
| 7:30 a.m. | Broom Hockey Championship | |||
| 8 a.m. | Bottlesbee Pro Tour Presented by Gronk Fitness | |||
| 8:30 a.m. | PaddleSmash World Championship | |||
| 9 a.m. | The National Beach Tennis Invitational presented by SXY | |||
| 9:30 a.m. | The Donk Toss World Championships | |||
| 10 a.m. | 2026 Big League Wiffle Ball World Series* | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | ||||
| 11 a.m. | Donk Toss Bikini Island Challenge* | |||
| 11:30 a.m. | ||||
| Noon | Turf Wars Adult Kickball | Battle of The Stars* | |||
| 12:30 p.m. | ||||
| 1 p.m. | The Ocho Show | |||
| 1:30 p.m. | ||||
| 2 p.m. | 2026 Roofball U.S. Open* | |||
| 2:30 p.m. | ||||
| 3 p.m. | Combat Archery All Stars: Presented by ICAA* | |||
| 3:30 p.m. | ||||
| 4 p.m. | 2026 Housekeeping Games* | |||
| 4:30 p.m. | ||||
| 5 p.m. | USA vs Canada Dodgeball Showcase* | |||
| 5:30 p.m. | ||||
| 6 p.m. | The Popdarts Championship presented by APL* | |||
| 6:30 p.m. | ||||
| 7 p.m. | Pop-A-Shot 2026 National Championship* | |||
| 7:30 p.m. | ||||
| 8 p.m. | Bananas vs. Coconuts (Target Field) | Slippery Stairs: Primetime Chaos Tour* | ||
| 8:30 p.m. | ||||
| 9 p.m. | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | |||
| 9:30 p.m. | ||||
| 10 p.m. | ||||
| 10:30 p.m. | ||||
| 11 p.m. | World Juggling Federation Championships presented by SkillCon | |||
| 11:30 p.m. | ||||
| Sat, Aug 8 | Midnight | The World Series of Armwrestling Season 4 Finals | ||
| 12:30 a.m. | ||||
| 1 a.m. | Hollywood Steinholding Invitational | |||
| 1:30 a.m. | ||||
| 2 a.m. | Big League Chew presents: 2025 National Bubble Gum Blowing Championship (re-air) | |||
| 2:30 a.m. | WJF 20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship (Juggling) (re-air) | |||
| 3 a.m. | ||||
| 3:30 a.m. | 2023 Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship (re- air) | |||
| 4 a.m. | Padel Ping Pong Championship (re-air) | |||
| 4:30 a.m. | Major League Table Tennis Showcase (re-air) | |||
| 5 a.m. | ||||
| 5:30 a.m. | 2022 Speed Chess Championship Final presented by Chess.com (re-air) | |||
| 6 a.m. | Freestyle Chess Grand Slam – Paris Final: Best Of Show (re-air) | |||
| 6:30 a.m. | Microsoft Excel World Championship 2024 Finals (re-air) | |||
| 7 a.m. | Microsoft Excel World Championship Finals | |||
| 7:30 a.m. | USA Jigsaw Nationals presented by Ravensburger | |||
| 8 a.m. | Diving Chess: World Tour | |||
| 8:30 a.m. | Fire Department Racing | |||
| 9 a.m. | Brewskee-Ball: Legends of the Lane | |||
| 9:30 a.m. | Hacky Sack 2026 Championship | |||
| 10:00 a.m. | Blaster Tag Invitational | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | ||||
| 11 a.m. | Bullshooter Invitational V | |||
| 11:30 a.m. | ||||
| Noon | 2026 U.S. Ultimate Championships | |||
| 12:30 p.m. | ||||
| 1 p.m. | ||||
| 1:30 p.m. | ||||
| 2 p.m. | United Grid League – New York Wolves vs Tampa Bay Brigade | |||
| 2:30 p.m. | ||||
| 3 p.m. | The World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship IX | |||
| 3:30 p.m. | ||||
| 4 p.m. | 2026 OmegaBall Men’s Championship | |||
| 4:30 p.m. | ||||
| 5 p.m. | IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships – Freestyle Sprint | |||
| 5:30 p.m. | Regularly Scheduled Programming | |||
| 6 p.m. | ||||
| 6:30 p.m. | ||||
| 7 p.m. | ||||
| 7:30 p.m. | Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby (re-air) | |||
| 8 p.m. | Bananas vs. Coconuts (Target Field) | Fling Golf Lowcountry Open | ||
| 8 p.m. | Pro Paintball 3v3 National Championship | |||
| 9 p.m. | Red Bull Flugtag: Dallas | |||
| 9:30 p.m. | Red Bull Non-Stock 600 | |||
| 10 p.m. | The Goodyear Blimp Tri in the Sky | |||
| 10:30 p.m. | Bare Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars | |||
| 11 p.m. | Two Goalies All Goalie Game | |||
| 11:30 p.m. | The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament | |||
| Sun, Aug 9 | Midnight | 2026 Nok Hockey Championship | ||
| 12:30 a.m. | Pumpkin Sling Championship | |||
| 1 a.m. | T-Rex World Championship Races at Emerald Downs (re-air) | |||
| 1:30 a.m. | 2026 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs (re-air) | |||
| 2 a.m. | 2026 Housekeeping Games (re-air) | |||
| 2 a.m. | ||||
| 3 a.m. | Regularly Scheduled Programming | |||
| 3:30 a.m. | ||||
| 4 a.m. | ||||
| 4:30 a.m. | ||||
| 5 a.m. | ||||
| 5:30 a.m. | World Axe & Knife Throwing Championship 2025 (re-air) | |||
| 6 a.m. | ||||
| 6:30 a.m. | 2025 Extreme Archery Championship presented by Archery Tag (re-air) | |||
| 7 a.m. | ||||
| 7:30 a.m. | Extreme Archery 2026 Championship by Archery Tag | |||
| 8 a.m. | Slippery Stairs: Primetime Chaos Tour (re-air) | |||
| 8:30 a.m. | ||||
| 9 a.m. | WFT World Championships of Foosball | |||
| 9:30 a.m. | ||||
| 10 a.m. | Optima Moto Rodeo | |||
| 10:30 a.m. | ||||
| 11 a.m. | Bronco Off Course, Desert Scramble | |||
| 11:30 a.m. | ||||
| Noon | ACL World Championships 2026 – Trick Shot Challenge | |||
| 12:30 p.m. | ||||
| 1 p.m. | ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Teams Championship | |||
| 1:30 p.m. | ||||
| 2 p.m. | 2026 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships | ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Singles Finals & Mixed Doubles Finals | ||
| 2:30 p.m. | ||||
| 3 p.m. | ||||
| 3:30 p.m. | ||||
| 4 p.m. | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Invitational | ||
| 4:30 p.m. | ||||
| 5 p.m. | ||||
| 5:30 p.m. |
*BOLD = Sports making Ocho Debut and * = Live from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
