Banana Ball is coming to Canada in 2027. Here’s what to know about this wacky, trick-filled sport

Don’t want to watch nine innings of regular baseball? Well, you’re in luck.

The Banana Ball Championship League is heading to Canada for the first time, with stops in Toronto and Winnipeg in August, 2027. It’s the first time Banana Ball is going international, after the league was formally founded in the United States this year.

But what is this sport that is selling out stadiums across the U.S. and has millions of people on waitlists for tickets? Here’s what you need to know.

What is Banana Ball?

Banana Ball was invented by league’s commissioner, Jesse Cole, and the league competed in its inaugural season this past year. But the original team, the Savannah Bananas, were founded in 2016 as a member of Coastal Plains League, a summer circuit for college players.

Banana Ball is a barnstorming baseball league. While fundamentally similar to regular baseball – with outs and home runs – it can vary greatly.

One of the starkest differences is how you win a game, which is by points rather than runs. In an individual inning, the team who earns the most runs gets a point. The most points after nine innings wins the game, making each inning its own mini game.

Other variations from traditional baseball include a strict a two-hour game time, an immediate ejection for bunting, no mound visits by coaches, no stepping out of the batters’ box and if a foul ball is caught by a fan, it is considered an out.

The game can dominated by trick catches and plays, as well as singing and dancing in between innings.

The first official game was held in 2020, and has expanded to a league with five additional teams: the Firefighters, the Indianapolis Clowns, the Loco Beach Coconuts, the Party Animals and the Texas Tailgaters.

The original idea was to generate fan interest for baseball at historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah, Ga.

Some Banana Ball players have made their MLB debut after playing Banana Ball, including pitcher Hayden Harris and Canadian outfielder Tristan Peters, both playing for the Savannah Bananas.

Major-leaguers are getting in on the craze too. The Indianapolis Clowns’ Jackie Bradley Jr. is the first retired MLB player to play full-time Banana Ball, joining for the 2026 season. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 and won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

When did Banana Ball get so popular?

Banana Ball started gaining traction in 2023, after the Savannah Bananas left the Coastal Plains League to play Banana Ball year-round.

That same year, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, opened an exhibit for the Savannah Bananas. The exhibit was recognition of Cole’s success attracting younger fans with its shenanigans.

“Some people who are more traditional may think this isn’t quite baseball. And it is different,” Josh Rawitch, president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, told the Associated Press at the time.

“At the same time, if you look at the exhibit we have on baseball in the 1800s, you’re talking about playing the game with no glove and underhand pitching. The game continues to evolve, and I think Banana Ball is part of the evolution.”

Since 2023, Banana Ball has added the Firefighters, the Clowns, the Coconuts and the Tailgaters as official teams and has been played in front of millions of people.

The Walt Disney Company has taken particular interest with the sport. It aired the first-ever Banana Ball championship game on Disney+ on Oct. 10 and had Savannah Bananas’ player Jackson Olson on Dancing with the Stars. The Texas Tailgaters beat the Savannah Bananas 2-1 to win the inaugural Banana Bowl championship.

Where is Banana Ball playing in Canada?

Banana Ball is headed to Toronto and Winnipeg in August, 2027.

Both cities are having two-game stints with the league. The Savannah Bananas will play the Indianapolis Clowns on Aug. 14 and 15 at the Rogers Centre.

The Texas Tailgaters and the Party Animals will face off in Winnipeg in two different venues: Blue Cross Park on Aug. 26, and Princess Auto Stadium two days later on Aug. 28.

Banana Ball is also being played in 79 stadiums across 74 cities in the U.S. and Mexico. The season starts on Feb. 5, 2027, with the Savannah Bananas taking on the Texas Tailgaters in Monterrey, Mexico, with the championship set for September, 2027.

To get tickets, fans must join the ticket lottery list on the Banana Ball website before Oct. 31. Tickets go on sale two months before the games, and being on the ticket lottery list does not guarantee the ability to purchase passes.

Is this baseball’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters?

Kind of. The sport’s often compared to the barnstorming basketball team for its trick plays and entertainment value.

But unlike the Globetrotters, Banana Ball is unscripted, in a league and have playoffs with a championship. The Globetrotters always win their exhibition games, whereas in Banana Ball, no team is guaranteed a win.

With reports from the Associated Press