Banana Ball is going international for the first time in its history, the Savannah Bananas organization announced Tuesday during its annual city selection show.
The 2027 Banana Ball season will feature multiple stops in Mexico and Canada as part of the largest season to date. Next year’s Banana Ball World Tour will have 204 shows, up from the 192 games played in 2026.
“This was one of the biggest announcements in the history of Banana Ball,” said Savannah Bananas Owner Jesse Cole.
More: Live Updates: Banana Ball City Selection Show. Stadiums, new cities, more
The 2027 announcement event drew thousands to Historic Grayson Stadium, where a full stage was placed on the infield for the night’s festivities. Attendees filled chairs on the lawn of the infield as players performed skits, and Cole led chants throughout the night.
Included in Thursday night’s round of roll outs was announcement of a new Banana Ball film done in partnership with Disney. The film will premiere at the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park on June 12.
The film will include original music from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, two producers from the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman. Cole described the film as a documentary of Banana Ball dating back to its start.
“We’ve been filming everything in the past 10 years,” Cole said.
Next year's tour will feature 74 cities and 79 stadiums. The stadium stops include the most-ever MLB stadiums at 23 and 10 football stadiums. There will also be 30 games in Savannah’s Grayson Stadium, an increase over the total local games last year.
Banana Ball, across its six teams, will be played in front of 4.3 million fans next year, Cole said.
Cole said expanding to international stops was brought by seeing increasing demand from Mexico and Canada. The international games will be played in Monterrey, Tijuana, Toronto and Winnipeg.
NFL stadiums include those in Cleveland, Chicago, Houston and Nashville, with the latter serving as host for the 2027 Banana Bowl. Next year's league playoffs will be played in Savannah, as they were this year.
There are also major college football stadiums on the tour such as LSU’s Tiger Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame Stadium will host what Cole called the “craziest announcement” in Banana Ball history—Banana Ball 360.
In Banana Ball 360, the organization will outfit the stadium with two baseball fields in adjacent corners. Teams will then alternate which field they play on each inning.
Cole said the idea was developed through its two years of playing in football stadiums and connecting with fans on their experience. The duel-field concept will allow fans in all sitting areas to feel close to the action, Cole added.
In other words, if you’re in the outfield one inning, you’re behind home plate in the next.
“We think this is the most ‘fans first’ thing we’ve ever done,” Cole said, in a nod to the LLC behind Banana Ball, Fans First Entertainment.
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Banana Ball goes international for the first time for 2027 World Tour