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Banana Ball Is Coming Back to Disney World, and This Time It Is a Tournament: the Banana Ball Open, April 15-18, 2027
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Banana Ball Is Coming Back to Disney World, and This Time It Is a Tournament: the Banana Ball Open, April 15-18, 2027

Michael Travels
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This past spring, Banana Ball brought one matchup to Walt Disney World. Next spring, it is bringing the whole league.

The Banana Ball Open is coming to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex from April 15 to 18, 2027. The dates were revealed during the Banana Ball City Selection Show, which aired on ESPN2 and the Banana Ball YouTube channel on October 15, and the Disney Parks Blog posted the details that evening. In Disney's words, Banana Ball returns "for the second straight year."

Stitch, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse in a pinstripe baseball uniform, Daisy Duck and Goofy in cowboy gear line up on artificial turf with six Banana Ball players in Party Animals, Firefighters, Loco Beach Coconuts, Savannah Bananas, Indianapolis Clowns and Texas Tailgaters uniforms, in front of a green Fan Wall reading Go Bananas!

Disney characters line up with a player from each of the six Banana Ball teams. Image: Disney

Four teams, one playoff ticket

This is a bigger event than Banana Ball's first Disney World visit. On May 29 and 30, 2026, the Loco Beach Coconuts played the Party Animals over two nights. For 2027, Disney says "Walt Disney World will welcome all six teams to attend and four teams to compete in the Banana Ball Open."

There is something real on the line, too. According to WDW News Today, the Open is a tournament that sits inside the Banana Ball Championship League season, and the four teams are playing "to win the tournament and secure an automatic spot in the season-ending playoffs, regardless of their subsequent record."

The six Banana Ball teams Disney names are the Savannah Bananas, the Firefighters, the Party Animals, the Loco Beach Coconuts, the Indianapolis Clowns and the Texas Tailgaters. Disney's post says "the top four teams in the league will face off inside The Stadium," but neither Disney nor WDW News Today has named the four or said when the league's top four will be decided.

Mickey Mouse in a white pinstripe baseball uniform and cap stands hands on hips beside a Savannah Bananas player in a yellow number 4 jersey and shorts, in front of a green wall with giant yellow Bananas! lettering covered in signatures

Mickey Mouse with a Savannah Bananas player. Image: Disney

Where they will play

Games will be played inside The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports, which Disney says has more than 9,500 seats, four luxury sky boxes and open-air suites. The complex itself covers more than 260 acres.

A Loco Beach Coconuts batter in a mint helmet waits for a pitch while a Party Animals catcher in pink and an umpire crouch behind him at dusk, with the ESPN Wide World of Sports scoreboard in the outfield listing the Animals and Coconuts

The Coconuts and Party Animals at The Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports in May 2026. Image: Disney

How to get tickets

Disney's post does not give a general on-sale date. Instead, fans join the Ticket Lottery List at BananaBall.com, which closes at 11:50 p.m. Eastern on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31. Getting on the list does not guarantee a chance to buy tickets. Disney says it enters you into a random drawing, held before the event, for the chance to buy available tickets, and anyone whose name is drawn will be contacted directly.

  • Standard tickets: start at $35 on BananaBall.com
  • Meet and Greet tickets: start at $100 each
  • Fees: Disney's post says "no hidden fees and no tax"

Disney's post also links a separate sign-up for updates on premium hospitality opportunities for Banana Ball at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

What the first visit looked like

If the debut is any guide, expect the characters to get involved. At the first game this past May, WDW News Today reports, Stitch made an appearance and Mickey and Minnie joined the "Hey Baby" singalong, and the Coconuts won that opening game 4-3 after a ninth-inning comeback.

Minnie Mouse in a blue floral dress kicks up one heel beside a smiling Loco Beach Coconuts player in a white and mint number 11 jersey who is making a shaka sign, in front of a giant yellow Bananas sign

Minnie Mouse with a Loco Beach Coconuts player. Image: Disney

So, are you putting your name in the lottery, and which four teams do you want to see play for that playoff spot?

Sources

Image credits: Disney (all photos).

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