The Force is coming to the Super Bowl. ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney and the NFL announced that Super Bowl LXI will get a real time, animated alternate telecast set in the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars Funday Football airs Sunday, February 14, 2027 on Disney Channel and Disney XD and streams live on Disney+ and the ESPN App.
This is the first time a Super Bowl has ever had an animated alternate presentation, and it comes in the same year Star Wars celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Quick Facts
- What: Star Wars Funday Football, an animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI
- When: Sunday, February 14, 2027
- Where: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
- How to watch: Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney+ and the ESPN App
- Traditional broadcast: ESPN and ABC, also streaming on Disney+
How Star Wars Funday Football Works
Every play from the actual game is recreated in animation in real time, with NFL players appearing as animated avatars. During key moments, Star Wars characters will substitute into the action, and fans can expect plenty of Easter eggs throughout the game.
The telecast is powered by Sony’s Beyond Sports data visualization technology, which combines NFL Next Gen Stats player tracking with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking to bring every snap to life. It runs alongside the traditional telecast, so you can pick whichever version you prefer, or flip between the two.
C-3PO and R2-D2 “Crash-Land” at the Super Bowl
To kick things off, Lucasfilm released a teaser showing C-3PO and R2-D2 crash landing on a desert planet as they make their way to the stadium. Anthony Daniels returns to voice C-3PO with brand new dialogue recorded for the teaser.
Disney’s First Super Bowl
Super Bowl LXI is ESPN’s first ever Super Bowl production. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will call the traditional broadcast on ESPN and ABC. As we reported earlier this month, Super Bowl LXI is streaming on Disney+ for the first time.
Star Wars Funday Football is the fourth animated alternate NFL telecast from ESPN, Disney and the NFL, and it continues the Emmy winning Funday Football franchise. It follows Toy Story Funday Football, The Simpsons Funday Football and Monsters Funday Football.
Watching Outside the U.S.
Star Wars Funday Football will stream live in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Canada (on TSN+), the Netherlands, sub Saharan Africa, Japan, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. It will also be available on demand on Disney+ shortly after the game in those markets and more, including the UK, France, Germany and South Korea, for a total of more than 155 markets.
A Huge Year for Star Wars
The Super Bowl is just the start of Lucasfilm’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration:
- February 19, 2027: The original Star Wars returns to theaters, including its first ever IMAX presentation in IMAX 70mm at select locations.
- April 1 through 4, 2027: Star Wars Celebration takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center.
- May 28, 2027: Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, opens in theaters on the 50th anniversary weekend of the original film’s premiere.
Catch up on everything planned in our guide to every Star Wars 50th anniversary celebration announced for 2027.
Will you be watching the Super Bowl in a galaxy far, far away? Let us know in the comments!
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