ESPN, Lucasfilm, Disney and the NFL announced on October 20, 2026 a real-time, animated alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy, called Star Wars Funday Football. It streams live on Disney+ and the ESPN App and airs on Disney Channel and Disney XD on Sunday, February 14, 2027.
The production recreates every play in real time with players transformed into animated avatars, Star Wars characters subbing in during key moments, and Easter eggs throughout. Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in the original 1977 film, returns to voice the character.
What is actually confirmed
The date, the platforms and the format are the firm facts here. The animated game will be available on demand on Disney+ shortly after the live telecast, and the presentation reaches more than 155 markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and South Korea. Those are Disney’s own figures from the announcement.
What is not yet established is the full character list. Beyond C-3PO, the announcement does not say which Star Wars characters will appear. Availability is described as reaching 155-plus markets with additional regions to follow, so it is not a guaranteed everywhere-at-launch commitment.
Why an alternate telecast exists
This is a companion presentation, not a replacement for the main broadcast. It joins other Super Bowl LXI alternate options, including Super Bowl LXI with Peyton and Eli on ESPN2 and Super Bowl LXI Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show on ESPNU. The pattern across sports broadcasting is to offer a second feed aimed at a different audience than the traditional telecast.
For Disney, the announcement extends the Star Wars brand into live event television, and it gives Disney+ a live-event hook that is not a scripted series. If you already have Disney+ for other reasons, this arrives without an extra purchase; if you do not, it is not by itself a reason to subscribe.
Our Hulu November 2026 schedule breakdown covers the other side of the Disney streaming bundle for the coming month.
What we did not do
We did not watch the telecast, which has not aired. We did not verify which Star Wars characters appear beyond C-3PO, and we did not confirm a specific on-demand window beyond the announcement’s “shortly after the live telecast.”
Sources
- Disney+ Press — Star Wars Funday Football
- StarWars.com — Star Wars Super Bowl telecast
- Los Angeles Times — Super Bowl LXI Star Wars alternate telecast on Disney+
- Honest Fred — Netflix Partners With hoichoi
