College Football HQ

College football to host national title game in Vegas in 2027: report

Hosting games in Las Vegas was a rarity, but changes in attitudes around gambling means college football is looking to stake a bigger claim in Sin City
James Parks|
Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Las Vegas strip.
Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Las Vegas strip. | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2026 college football season will end in Las Vegas, as the CFP has agreed to play its national championship game in Sin City, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

The report described Vegas as a "lock" and a "done deal" to host the national title.

No date has been finalized for the game, but it will be played at some point early in 2027, which will be the first season under a new College Football Playoff contract.

The original 12-year deal under which the College Football Playoff has been played expires after the 2025 season, and there's already credible speculation the format could expand further at that point from the 12-team field the CFP is set to expand to this postseason.

While professional teams have traditionally avoided playing in Las Vegas, college football has maintained a presence in the city, hosting the Las Vegas Bowl starting in 1992, and the Pac-12 played its last three conference championship games there.

College football will play its national championship game in Atlanta this season before moving to Miami in the 2025-26 season.

New Orleans is looking to host the game in January 2028, with Dallas hoping for 2029, and Miami again in 2030, according to Action Network.

Houston, Phoenix, and Tampa are in play should any of those cities not come to an agreement.

Vegas will become the 11th market to host the College Football Playoff national championship game.

(Action Network)

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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