ESPN8: The Ocho - Events, Schedule, and How to Watch with Sling
The Ocho returns to ESPN and ESPN2 with 23 new events and more than 70 hours of coverage. Here's a look at the full schedule and how to catch all the craziest action with Sling.
For sports fans, early August is purgatory. The NBA and NHL playoffs are over and preseason football just whets your appetite for the real thing to start in September. But there is one thing to look forward to in these dog days of the sports calendar: The Ocho on ESPN.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Ocho will feature “74.5 hours of thrilling, unexpected and unconventional sports,” including 23 new competitions. Here’s a preview of all of the quirky competitions you can look forward to when The Ocho kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 6. To watch The Ocho on ESPN with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Essentials with ESPN and ESPN2.
How to watch ESPN8: The Ocho with Sling
https://youtu.be/JLL5NM8CAk4?si=EpC1WAt_vHvHlgOG
Events from The Ocho will air across three ESPN channels on Sling: ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. ESPN and ESPN2 – which will air the majority of the programming – are both available with a subscription to Sling Essentials, Sling Orange, Sling Essentials + Select, or Orange + Blue. ESPNU, which has the Cornhole championships, is available with those services + the Sports Extras Pack. If you’re an Ocho diehard, you can watch all four days by subscribing to a 7 Day Pass, or catch specific events with a 1 or 3 Day Pass.
To watch ESPN8: The Ocho for the best price with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Essentials with ESPN and ESPN2!
What Sports Are Featured on The Ocho?
https://youtu.be/XsGYMOJMFxQ?si=DpjeZOuayWJZ9xK_
From team sports to solo challenges, pet-themed competitions to arcade games, every type of ridiculous sport imaginable will be featured during The Ocho. Here’s a look at everything you can expect to see when The Ocho takes over ESPN and ESPN2 from Aug. 6-9:
Animals & Pets
- 2026 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs (Thursday, Aug 6, 8:30 PM ET on ESPN2 and Sunday, Aug 9, 1:30 AM ET on ESPN2): The country’s fastest corgis sprint down a racetrack to claim a championship trophy.
- Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby (Thursday, Aug 6, 9 PM ET on ESPN2 and Saturday, Aug 8, 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Dachshunds race head-to-head on a miniature track.
- NuLu Bock Fest Goat Racing Championships (Thursday, Aug 6, 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Goats race down a street track to celebrate bock beer traditions.
- Great Bahamian Crab Races (Thursday, Aug 6, 10 PM ET on ESPN2): Participants coax live crabs to scurry across a finish line.
- 2026 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves (Thursday, Aug 6, 10:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Dogs ride surfboards on ocean waves and are judged on their balance and style.
- T-Rex World Championship Races at Emerald Downs (Thursday, Aug 6, 8 PM ET on ESPN2 and Sunday, Aug 9, 1:00 AM ET on ESPN2): Participants dressed in inflatable T-Rex costumes sprint down a racetrack.
Extreme, Racing & Outdoor Challenges
- Red Bull Spin Off: DC (Thursday, Aug 6, 7 PM ET on ESPN2): Teams of two create custom-made bicycles and attempt to cross the finish line on a floating racetrack.
- Red Bull Soapbox Race: Denver (Thursday, Aug 6, 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Amateur drivers race homemade, unpowered gravity racers downhill.
- Red Bull Flugtag: Dallas (Saturday, Aug 8, 9 PM ET on ESPN2): Competitors attempt to fly homemade, human-powered flying machines off a high pier into the water below.
- Red Bull Non-Stock 600 (Saturday, Aug 8, 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2)
- Death Diving League – World Tour 2025 – Arendal (Friday, Aug 7, 2 AM ET on ESPN2): An extreme form of amateur diving where participants perform death-defying jumps and hold their flat poses until just before hitting the water.
- Grass Drag Racing Season Opener (Friday, Aug 7, 4:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Snowmobiles compete in a drag race over grass tracks instead of snow.
- Fire Department Racing (Saturday, Aug 8, 8:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Firefighters compete against one another in modified trucks and physical drills.
- Optima Moto Rodeo (Sunday, Aug 9, 10 AM ET on ESPN2)
- Bronco Off Course, Desert Scramble (Sunday, Aug 9, 11 AM ET on ESPN2): Off-road desert racing featuring modified Ford Broncos.
- The Goodyear Blimp Tri in the Sky (Saturday, Aug 8, 10 PM ET on ESPN2): A unique triathlon-style challenge interacting with the famous Goodyear Blimp.
- NTPA Unlimited Pulling Tractors (Friday, Aug 7, 4 AM ET on ESPN2)
Alternative Stick & Ball Sports
- 2026 Blackbird Cup – Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League (Thursday, Aug 6, 11 PM ET on ESPN2)
- National Ball Hockey League: 2025 Tier 1 Championship (Friday, Aug 7, Midnight on ESPN2)
- Broom Hockey Championship (Friday, Aug 7, 7:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Similar to ice hockey, but players wear special shoes and use brooms to hit a ball into the net.
- Bananas vs. Coconuts (Target Field) (Friday, Aug 7, 8 PM ET on ESPN and Saturday, Aug 8, 8 PM ET on ESPN): A highly entertaining, trick-play filled variation of baseball ("Banana Ball") featuring dancing and unconventional rules.
- Two Goalies All Goalie Game (Saturday, Aug 8, 11 PM ET on ESPN2): A chaotic variation of hockey where every player on the ice is fully dressed in bulky goalie equipment.
- The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament (Saturday, Aug 8, 11:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Hockey played on a slippery, soap-covered tarp wearing just socks or bare feet.
- 2026 Big League Wiffle Ball World Series (Friday, Aug 7, 10 AM ET on ESPN2)
- Turf Wars Adult Kickball | Battle of The Stars (Friday, Aug 7, Noon on ESPN2)
- 2026 OmegaBall Men's Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 4 PM ET on ESPN2): A fast-paced soccer variant played on a circular field with three teams playing simultaneously.
- FlingGolf: LFC-5 Longest FlingShot Championship (Friday, Aug 7, 5:30 AM ET on ESPN2) and Fling Golf Lowcountry Open (Saturday, Aug 8, 8 PM ET on ESPN2): A sport where players use a single stick (FlingStick) to hurl a golf ball across a traditional golf course.
- 2026 National Putting Tour’s “The Putting Zone Shootout” (Friday, Aug 7, 6 AM ET on ESPN2)
Target, Throwing & Precision Sports
- ACL World Championships 2026 (Sunday, Aug 9: Trick Shot Challenge at Noon, Pro Teams Championship at 1 PM ET, Pro Singles Finals & Mixed Doubles Finals at 2 PM ET, Pro Invitational at 4 PM ET, all on ESPN2): Professional cornhole (bean bag toss) competitions featuring trick shots, team, and singles matches.
- The Popdarts Championship presented by APL (Friday, Aug 7, 6 PM ET on ESPN2): A precision game where players throw specialized suction cup darts at a smooth surface to land closest to a target.
- Bullshooter Invitational V (Saturday, Aug 8, 11 AM ET on ESPN2): Electronic soft-tip dart competition.
- The World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship IX (Saturday, Aug 8, 3 PM ET on ESPN2) and World Axe & Knife Throwing Championship 2025 (Sunday, Aug 9, 5:30 AM ET on ESPN2)
- Pumpkin Sling Championship (Sunday, Aug 9, 12:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitors use mechanical devices like trebuchets to launch pumpkins as far as possible.
- Bottlesbee Pro Tour Presented by Gronk Fitness (Friday, Aug 7, 8 AM ET on ESPN2): A frisbee game where players attempt to knock an opponent's bottle off a pole using a flying disc.
- The Donk Toss World Championships (Friday, Aug 7, 9:30 AM ET on ESPN2) & Donk Toss Bikini Island Challenge (Friday, Aug 7, 11 AM ET on ESPN2): A casual throwing game where participants attempt to land projectiles onto specialized targets.
- Pop-A-Shot 2026 National Championship (Friday, Aug 7, 7 PM ET on ESPN2): Fast-paced electronic arcade basketball shooting.
- 2026 Roofball U.S. Open (Friday, Aug 7, 2 PM ET on ESPN2): Players throw a ball onto a sloped roof and attempt to score points based on how their opponent fields the erratic rebound.
- Pro Paintball 3v3 National Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 8 PM ET on ESPNU)
Combat, Strength & Fitness
- Combat Archery All Stars: Presented by ICAA (Friday, Aug 7, 3 PM ET on ESPN2) and 2025 Extreme Archery Championship presented by Archery Tag (Sunday, Aug 9, 6:30 AM ET on ESPN2) and Extreme Archery 2026 Championship by Archery Tag (Sunday, Aug 9, 7:30 AM ET on ESPN2): A dodgeball-style combat game played with bows and foam-tipped arrows.
- USA vs Canada Dodgeball Showcase (Friday, Aug 7, 5 PM ET on ESPN2)
- Bare Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars (Saturday, Aug 8, 10:30 PM ET on ESPN2): Bare-knuckle boxing matches fought while wearing ice skates in a hockey rink.
- The World Series of Armwrestling Season 4 Finals (Saturday, Aug 8, Midnight on ESPN2)
- United Grid League – New York Wolves vs Tampa Bay Brigade (Saturday, Aug 8, 2 PM ET on ESPN2): A team-based functional fitness and weightlifting racing competition.
- Hollywood Steinholding Invitational (Saturday, Aug 8, 1 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitors hold a full, one-liter beer stein with a straight arm parallel to the floor for as long as possible.
Skill, Mind & Niche Competitions
- Microsoft Excel World Championship Finals (Saturday, Aug 8, 7 AM ET on ESPN2) and Microsoft Excel World Championship 2024 Finals (Saturday, Aug 8, 6:30 AM ET on ESPN2): An esports-style competition where participants solve complex data and modeling tasks using Microsoft Excel.
- USA Jigsaw Nationals presented by Ravensburger (Saturday, Aug 8, 7:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitive fast-paced jigsaw puzzle assembling.
- 2026 Housekeeping Games (Friday, Aug 7, 4 PM ET on ESPN2 and Sunday, Aug 9, 2 AM ET on ESPN2): Hotel housekeepers compete in speed and skill tasks like making beds and vacuuming.
- Diving Chess: Duel in the Depths (Friday, Aug 7, 3 AM ET on ESPN2) and Diving Chess: World Tour (Saturday, Aug 8, 8 AM ET on ESPN2): Chess played at the bottom of a pool where players can only consider their moves for as long as they can hold their breath.
- 2022 Speed Chess Championship Final presented by Chess.com (Saturday, Aug 8, 5:30 AM ET on ESPN2) and Freestyle Chess Grand Slam – Paris Final: Best Of Show (Saturday, Aug 8, 6 AM ET on ESPN2): Chess variants played under intense time constraints or with randomized back-rank pieces.
- World Juggling Federation Championships presented by SkillCon (Friday, Aug 7, 11 PM ET on ESPN2) and WJF 20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship (Juggling) (Saturday, Aug 8, 2:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitive juggling judged on technical difficulty and execution.
- Big League Chew presents: 2025 National Bubble Gum Blowing Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 2 AM ET on ESPN2)
- 2023 Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 3:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Auctioneers are judged on their speed, clarity, body language, and rhythm in calling bids.
Arcade & Table Games
- 2026 Golden Tee Golf World Championship (Friday, Aug 7, 1 AM ET on ESPN2) and 2025 Golden Tee Golf World Championships (Friday, Aug 7, 5 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitive play on the popular arcade golf video game.
- Stern Pro Circuit Heads-Up Pinball Invitational (Friday, Aug 7, 1:30 AM ET on ESPN2): High-level, competitive pinball played on classic arcade machines.
- Brewskee-Ball: Legends of the Lane (Saturday, Aug 8, 9 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitive Skee-Ball, traditionally played in arcades or bars.
- 2026 Nok Hockey Championship (Sunday, Aug 9, Midnight on ESPN2): A fast-paced tabletop hockey game played on a wooden board.
- WFT World Championships of Foosball (Sunday, Aug 9, 9 AM ET on ESPN2)
- Padel Ping Pong Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 4 AM ET on ESPN2) and Major League Table Tennis Showcase (Saturday, Aug 8, 4:30 AM ET on ESPN2)
Racket, Paddle & Net Sports
- PaddleSmash World Championship (Friday, Aug 7, 8:30 AM ET on ESPN2): A hybrid game mixing pickleball and Spikeball where players hit a ball into a portable, ground-level court.
- The National Beach Tennis Invitational presented by SXY (Friday, Aug 7, 9 AM ET on ESPN2): Tennis played entirely on beach sand with a higher net and no ball bounces.
- 2026 U.S. Ultimate Championships (Saturday, Aug 8, Noon on ESPN2) and 2026 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships (Sunday, Aug 9, 2 PM ET on ESPN2): Professional Ultimate Frisbee.
Gymnastics & Movement
- IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships (Friday, Aug 7, 6:30 AM ET on ESPN2) and IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships – Freestyle Sprint (Saturday, Aug 8, 5 PM ET on ESPN2): Competitive jump roping featuring high-speed sprints and freestyle acrobatic routines.
- Slippery Stairs: Primetime Chaos Tour (Friday, Aug 7, 8 PM ET on ESPN2 and Sunday, Aug 9, 8 AM ET on ESPN2): Contestants wearing slick bodysuits attempt to climb a staircase covered in a heavy, slippery substance.
- Hacky Sack 2026 Championship (Saturday, Aug 8, 9:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Keeping a small footbag in the air using acrobatic footwork and leg stalls.
- NHRL Prime Time Robot Fighting (Friday, Aug 7, 3:30 AM ET on ESPN2): Combat robotics competition where remote-controlled robots fight to the death in an enclosed arena.
- Blaster Tag Invitational (Saturday, Aug 8, 10:00 AM ET on ESPN2): Competitive, tactical tag played with foam blasters (like Nerf guns).
- Bike Polo Championship Presented by Legacy Pro Sports (Friday, Aug 7, 7 AM ET on ESPN2): Traditional polo, but players ride bicycles instead of horses.
Complete Daily Schedule for ESPN8: The Ocho
https://youtu.be/eWJY5ujwS6Q?si=oSktYjTsdq6A3Xts
Thursday, August 6
- Red Bull Spin Off: DC (7:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Red Bull Soapbox Race: Denver (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- T-Rex World Championship Races at Emerald Downs (8:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby (9:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- NuLu Bock Fest Goat Racing Championships (9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Great Bahamian Crab Races (10:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 World Dog Surfing Championships Best Waves (10:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Blackbird Cup – Alberta Pro Roller Hockey League (11:00 p.m., ESPN2)
Friday, August 7
- National Ball Hockey League: 2025 Tier 1 Championship (Midnight, ESPN2)
- 2026 Golden Tee Golf World Championship (1:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Stern Pro Circuit Heads-Up Pinball Invitational (1:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Death Diving League – World Tour 2025 – Arendal (2:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Diving Chess: Duel in the Depths (re-air) (3:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- NHRL Prime Time Robot Fighting (re-air) (3:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- NTPA Unlimited Pulling Tractors (re-air) (4:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Grass Drag Racing Season Opener (re-air) (4:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2025 Golden Tee Golf World Championships (re-air) (5:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- FlingGolf: LFC-5 Longest FlingShot Championship (re-air) (5:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 National Putting Tour’s “The Putting Zone Shootout” (6:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships (6:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Bike Polo Championship Presented by Legacy Pro Sports (7:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Broom Hockey Championship (7:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Bottlesbee Pro Tour Presented by Gronk Fitness (8:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- PaddleSmash World Championship (8:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- The National Beach Tennis Invitational presented by SXY (9:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- The Donk Toss World Championships (9:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Big League Wiffle Ball World Series (10:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Donk Toss Bikini Island Challenge (11:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Turf Wars Adult Kickball | Battle of The Stars (Noon, ESPN2)
- The Ocho Show (1:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Roofball U.S. Open (2:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Combat Archery All Stars: Presented by ICAA (3:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Housekeeping Games (4:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- USA vs Canada Dodgeball Showcase (5:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- The Popdarts Championship presented by APL (6:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Pop-A-Shot 2026 National Championship (7:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Bananas vs. Coconuts - Target Field (8:00 p.m., ESPN)
- Slippery Stairs: Primetime Chaos Tour (8:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (9:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- World Juggling Federation Championships presented by SkillCon (11:00 p.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, August 8
- The World Series of Armwrestling Season 4 Finals (Midnight, ESPN2)
- Hollywood Steinholding Invitational (1:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Big League Chew presents: 2025 National Bubble Gum Blowing Championship (re-air) (2:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- WJF 20 – The Ultimate Overall Championship - Juggling (re-air) (2:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2023 Wisconsin Auctioneers Championship (re-air) (3:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Padel Ping Pong Championship (re-air) (4:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Major League Table Tennis Showcase (re-air) (4:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2022 Speed Chess Championship Final presented by Chess.com (re-air) (5:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Freestyle Chess Grand Slam – Paris Final: Best Of Show (re-air) (6:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Microsoft Excel World Championship 2024 Finals (re-air) (6:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Microsoft Excel World Championship Finals (7:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- USA Jigsaw Nationals presented by Ravensburger (7:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Diving Chess: World Tour (8:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Fire Department Racing (8:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Brewskee-Ball: Legends of the Lane (9:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Hacky Sack 2026 Championship (9:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Blaster Tag Invitational (10:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Bullshooter Invitational V (11:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 U.S. Ultimate Championships (Noon, ESPN2)
- United Grid League – New York Wolves vs Tampa Bay Brigade (2:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- The World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship IX (3:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 OmegaBall Men’s Championship (4:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- IJRU 2025 World Jump Rope Championships – Freestyle Sprint (5:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Regularly Scheduled Programming (5:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Meadowlands Racetrack Wiener Dog Derby (re-air) (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Bananas vs. Coconuts - Target Field (8:00 p.m., ESPN)
- Fling Golf Lowcountry Open (8:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Pro Paintball 3v3 National Championship (8:00 p.m., ESPNU)
- Red Bull Flugtag: Dallas (9:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Red Bull Non-Stock 600 (9:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- The Goodyear Blimp Tri in the Sky (10:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- Bare Knuckle Fighting Ice Wars (10:30 p.m., ESPN2)
- Two Goalies All Goalie Game (11:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- The 2026 Big Boy Soap Hockey Tournament (11:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Sunday, August 9
- 2026 Nok Hockey Championship (Midnight, ESPN2)
- Pumpkin Sling Championship (12:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- T-Rex World Championship Races at Emerald Downs (re-air) (1:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Corgi Races at Emerald Downs (re-air) (1:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 Housekeeping Games (re-air) (2:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Regularly Scheduled Programming (3:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- World Axe & Knife Throwing Championship 2025 (re-air) (5:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- 2025 Extreme Archery Championship presented by Archery Tag (re-air) (6:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Extreme Archery 2026 Championship by Archery Tag (7:30 a.m., ESPN2)
- Slippery Stairs: Primetime Chaos Tour (re-air) (8:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- WFT World Championships of Foosball (9:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Optima Moto Rodeo (10:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- Bronco Off Course, Desert Scramble (11:00 a.m., ESPN2)
- ACL World Championships 2026 – Trick Shot Challenge (Noon, ESPN2)
- ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Teams Championship (1:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- 2026 U.S. Open Ultimate Championships (2:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Singles Finals & Mixed Doubles Finals (2:00 p.m., ESPNU)
- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (4:00 p.m., ESPN2)
- ACL World Championships 2026 – Pro Invitational (4:00 p.m., ESPNU)
To watch ESPN8: The Ocho for the best price with Sling, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Essentials with ESPN and ESPN2!