Banana Ball is coming to Walt Disney World! The league’s newest team, the Loco Beach Coconuts, will play games on May 29 and May 30, 2026 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. The Coconuts will take on the Party Animals, a team that has played Banana Ball since 2020.
The Party Animals and Coconuts compete in the newly-formed Banana Ball Championship League. The league also includes the Savannah Bananas, the Texas Tailgaters, the Firefighters, and the brand new Indianapolis Clowns. Several of the teams have toured and played Banana Ball in front of millions of fans over the last couple years, but this will be the first time a true league format has been used.
Tickets for the two games at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports will be available to purchase via a lottery system. Fans can put their name into the lottery on Banana Ball’s official site. Submit your entry to the lottery by October 31, 2025. We’ll warn you that it’s not easy to get Banana Ball tickets. The sport is incredibly popular, and ESPN’s Wide World of Sports stadium only has 9,500 seats.
The Coconuts and Party Animals playing two games in Disney World continues the league’s relationship with Disney. Disneyland held a special Savannah Bananas Day in May 2025, and many Banana Ball games are regularly televised on ESPN’s network of stations.
Banana Ball owner, Jesse Cole, often cites Walt Disney as an inspiration for his ideas and his “Fans First” mentality that has helped propel the league to where it is today. Cole keeps tickets affordable, games free to watch on YouTube, and more to make sure everyone can be a fan of Banana Ball. In many ways he comes off as a modern Walt Disney.
First time hearing about Banana Ball? You’re in for a treat. Banana Ball is often called the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, and while there are similarities, Banana Ball is much more than that. These are competitive games with no predetermined winner or loser. And, best of all, Banana Ball has special rules that turns baseball on its head.
Banana Ball Rules
- 2-hour time limit – No new inning can start after 2 hours.
- Fans can catch foul balls for outs – If a fan catches a foul ball cleanly the batter is out. Seriously. It’s an amazing rule!
- Each inning is worth one point – Every inning is worth one point. The team that gets the most runs in an inning, gets a point for that inning, except for the last inning, where every run counts. Think of it like match play in golf.
- No walks – On ball four, the batter runs to first base and can advance to as many bases as possible while the defending team must have every position player touch the ball before the batter can be tagged out.
- No bunts – Bunt and you’re ejected.
- Batters can’t step out of the box – Step out and it’s a strike (except on foul balls)
- No visits to the mound
- Batters can steal first – If a pitcher throws a wild pitch, a batter can try to run to first.
Got all that? There’s a few more rules, including epic showdowns if the game is tied after nine innings, but that’s enough to convey the overall concept of Banana Ball. On top of all that, the game is full of music, dancing, contests, skits, and pure entertainment. There is always something going on. Plan to get in your seat well before first pitch and stay there until the game is over. You won’t want to miss a moment.
