Banana Ball adding international contests, unveils '360' game

Banana Ball is going international. That was one announcement by the growing league in its 2027 schedule reveal Thursday night. Banana Ball is set to head to Mexico and Canada as part of the 2027 Banana Ball Championship League tour, which will include 79 stadiums across 74 cities. "Fans have been talking about us going international for years, and we've always said 'not yet, not yet, not yet.' But as the demand has grown, and we've continued to hear from multiple countries and multiple opportunities, we said the time is now," Banana Ball creator and owner Jesse Cole told ESPN. "We looked at the opportunity to create more fans and [we're] very excited to go to Mexico, going to Canada, [bringing] four of our teams out there is going to be special." Banana Ball is also set to visit the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, and Cooperstown, New York, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. There will also be more conventional stops -- among the 23 MLB stadiums and 10 football stadiums on the 2027 schedule are LSU's Tiger Stadium and the Tennessee Titans' New Nissan Stadium, which will host the Banana Ball World Tour Championship Bowl (Banana Bowl in shorthand) on Sept. 25. It's an intentional mix of unique, intimate spots and bigger venues that can host as many fans as possible. "You know, this past year, the wait list reached 5 million for tickets. And so we want to continue to have an opportunity to take care of as many fans as possible; that's why we're doing more of these NFL stadiums and more of these Major League Baseball stadiums," Cole said. "But continuing to also keep it intimate in a sense. We're playing at Field of Dreams this year. We're playing at Cooperstown, where they're unveiling a whole exhibit for all six of our teams. We're going to Hawaii. The Coconuts are playing in Hawaii at a 4,000-seat stadium. "So, you know, we're continuing to remember where we started, where we came from, but the opportunity to get more fans to be able to see it is our ultimate goal." The Banana Ball Open will also return in 2027, with all six teams competing at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, from April 15-18. But the schedule and international games, which will be played in Mexico (Monterrey and Tijuana), Winnipeg and Toronto, weren't the only changes Banana Ball unveiled Thursday. Enter: Banana Ball 360. Not content with simply playing on one field, Banana Ball's latest innovation will have one game being played on two fields, with the two teams switching fields between innings. Banana Ball 360, which will debut at Notre Dame Stadium on June 26, will involve two playing fields placed on opposite corners of a football stadium. The goal is to ensure that every seat in the stadium -- even those that hold 100,000 spectators -- has a prime view of the action. "We continued to watch the fan experience, and kept asking, 'Well, what if? How can we make it better? How can we make it even better for the fans, the fans who are way out in center field?' Is there something that we can do to make it better?'" Cole said. "We just started asking that question and said, 'Well, what if we put a field on one corner, and put a field on the other corner? And what if every inning, the teams switch?' So half the game, no matter where you're sitting, you're sitting close to home plate." It's Banana Ball like you've never seen it before... 1 stadium, 1 game... 2 fields 🤯 Banana Ball 360 brings the action to all 80,000 fans in South Bend. The field of play will alternate between two fields within Notre Dame Stadium to ensure that fans get the best seat in the house no matter where they sit. — Banana Ball (@BananaBall_) October 15, 2026 Plenty of innovation is occurring off the field as well. Banana Ball is partnering with Disney to release a documentary on the rise of the league over the past decade, offering a look at how Banana Ball was built into the still-growing enterprise it has become. The documentary will feature original music from Pasek and Paul, with a world premiere set for Truist Park in Atlanta on June 12. The league also announced an update for the 2028 season -- perhaps Banana Ball's boldest project yet, a cruise experience for fans. The venture will set sail for Puerto Rico in January 2028, culminating in a contest at San Juan's Hiram Bithorn Stadium. With 2028 already in mind, it's no surprise that Banana Ball keeps moving on to its next idea as Cole and Co. continue to innovate. "I think [doing hard things] what drives us," Cole said. "I think that's how you create something truly magical, when you do the hard things that other people won't do."