Star Wars-Themed Super Bowl Altcast Joins Disney’s Big Game Lineup
Key Takeaway: Disney, ESPN, Lucasfilm and the NFL will present an animated Star Wars alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI on 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Star Wars Funday Football will stream on Disney+ and the ESPN app and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD alongside the main broadcast, with Anthony Daniels returning to voice C-3PO.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed the plan on 19 October 2026: Lucasfilm, ESPN, Disney and the NFL will present an animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars universe.
The first animated Super Bowl altcast will stream live on Disney+ and the ESPN app and air on Disney Channel and Disney XD on 14 February 2027, alongside the main telecast on ABC, ESPN and Disney+.
How the altcast works
Real players will be translated into animated avatars, with Star Wars characters subbing in during key plays. Anthony Daniels, the original C-3PO, will voice the character, The Hollywood Reporter says, and other Star Wars figures will appear.
Sony’s Beyond Sports supplies the data visualisation technology, combining NFL Next Gen Stats player tracking with Sony Hawk-Eye optical tracking, Media Play News reports.
The announcement and the build-up
Sports Business Journal reports the formal announcement came as a video at halftime of the Commanders-49ers Monday Night Football game. From Tuesday, SC+, the streaming SportsCenter on Disney+, will carry Monday Night Football highlights “with a Star Wars visual theme”, with animated Darth Vader player interviews starting with the 26 October game, THR says.
We’ve had a bunch of highly successful ones leading up to this with our partners, the NBA, the NHL and NFL. And to me, I think this is a culmination of all that we’ve learned, all that we’ve done in all of these leading up to what is the biggest sporting stage on the planet, arguably, and one of the biggest IPs with a huge fan base that’s out there in the world.
Michael Szykowny, ESPN, to Sports Business Journal
A first for the biggest stage
The Super Bowl edition is Disney’s fourth NFL Funday Football, after the Toy Story altcast of October 2023 (Falcons-Jaguars), which won three Sports Emmy Awards, The Simpsons edition of December 2024 (Bengals-Cowboys) and the Monsters Inc. edition of December 2025 (Eagles-Chargers), Media Play News reports.
It had to be the right event, and we had to have the assets to really do right by it,
Michael Szykowny, ESPN, to Sports Business Journal
The business of the Big Game
Disney Ad Sales has sold out the game’s advertising inventory and is building a backup advertiser list, the Journal reports. The 2025 effort was the first NFL animated altcast to sell separate advertiser deals.
The altcast will reach more than 155 markets worldwide, Media Play News reports, with on-demand availability shortly after the game in the UK, France, Germany and South Korea among other regions.
The timing coincides with the 50th anniversary of Star Wars: a restored 1977 Episode IV returns to theatres on 19 February, five days after the game, while Ahsoka Season 2 premieres on 20 January and Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, releases on 28 May, according to the Journal.
Key Story Metrics
| Figure | Reported Status |
|---|---|
| Altcast | Star Wars Funday Football (THR, SBJ, MPN) |
| Game | Super Bowl LXI, 14 February 2027, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (THR) |
| Stream | Disney+ and the ESPN app (all three) |
| Linear | Disney Channel and Disney XD (all three) |
| Voice of C-3PO | Anthony Daniels (all three) |
| Technology | Sony’s Beyond Sports; NFL Next Gen Stats + Sony Hawk-Eye (MPN) |
| Reach | 155+ markets worldwide (MPN) |
| Prior editions | Toy Story (2023), The Simpsons (2024), Monsters Inc. (2025) (MPN) |
✓ Verified
Disney, ESPN, Lucasfilm and the NFL are presenting Star Wars Funday Football, an animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI on 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium (THR, SBJ, MPN). It streams on Disney+ and the ESPN app and airs on Disney Channel and Disney XD (all three). Anthony Daniels voices C-3PO, players become animated avatars, and Sony’s Beyond Sports provides the visualisation technology (all three). It is the first animated Super Bowl altcast and Disney’s fourth NFL Funday Football telecast (all three).
⚠ Still needs confirmation
The announcement mechanism (a video at halftime of the Commanders-49ers Monday Night Football game), the Tatooine hint in the promo graphic, and the sold-out advertising inventory come from Sports Business Journal alone. The main telecast team (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge) and the Spanish-language telecast details come from Media Play News alone. The altcast’s announcers and in-universe settings are still to be announced (SBJ).
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Star Wars Super Bowl altcast?
14 February 2027, alongside Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (THR, SBJ, MPN)
How can I watch it?
You can stream it live through Disney+ or the ESPN app, or watch on Disney Channel and Disney XD, in parallel with the main telecast carried by ABC, ESPN and Disney+. (all three)
Has Disney done this before?
This is the first animated Super Bowl altcast; Disney’s earlier Funday Football telecasts covered regular-season games with Toy Story, The Simpsons and Monsters Inc. themes. (all three)
- The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Star Wars’-Themed Super Bowl Altcast Joins Disney’s Big Game Lineup
- Sports Business Journal: ‘Star Wars’ animated alt-cast latest addition for Disney/ESPN at Super Bowl LXI
- Media Play News: Disney+ to Live-Stream Star Wars-Themed Super Bowl LXI
Editor’s note: Single-source details in this article (the announcement video, the advertising sellout and the telecast team) are attributed in the text; all core facts are confirmed by at least two outlets.
