The 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship is the title game of the 2026 college football season, played on Monday 25 January 2027 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the thirteenth edition of the CFP era and the third to be contested under the 12-team playoff format, with the two surviving teams from a field of twelve meeting to decide the national champion.
What is the College Football Playoff National Championship?
The College Football Playoff National Championship is the game that crowns the national champion of FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) college football. Introduced in the 2014 season, it replaced the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game and opened the door to a playoff structure. From the 2024 season onwards, the competition has been contested by a 12-team bracket rather than the four-team format used in the first ten editions.
How the 12-team Playoff Works
The 12-team field is determined by a selection committee that ranks teams at regular intervals through the season, with the final committee rankings released the Sunday after conference championship weekend. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids, and the next seven highest-ranked teams earn at-large berths. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye, while seeds five through twelve play first-round games on campus at the higher seed’s home stadium in mid-December.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and championship game are all hosted at neutral-site venues. For the 2026 season, the quarter-finals are played at the Fiesta Bowl (30 December 2026), Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl (1 January 2027). The semi-finals are at the Orange Bowl on Thursday 14 January 2027 and the Sugar Bowl on Friday 15 January 2027. The championship game is played ten days later at Allegiant Stadium.
When is the CFP National Championship 2027?
The 2027 CFP National Championship is played on Monday 25 January 2027, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 pm Eastern Time (4:30 pm Pacific, 12:30 am BST on Tuesday 26 January). It is the latest date on which a CFP title game has ever been played, reflecting the expanded 12-team format and the longer build-up period between the semi-finals and the final.
The CFP Fan Central experience opens at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Friday 22 January, providing a three-day festival of music, events and interactive experiences in the build-up to kick-off. Media Day is held the Saturday before the game, with both coaches and selected players attending press availabilities on the Sunday.
Where is the CFP National Championship 2027?
The championship game is held at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, on the western edge of the Las Vegas Strip. Opened in 2020 as the home of the Las Vegas Raiders of the NFL and the UNLV Rebels college programme, Allegiant Stadium has a capacity of 65,000 expandable to 71,835 for special events. It is a fully enclosed, domed stadium with a translucent ETFE roof that floods the interior with natural light on sunny days.
Allegiant Stadium has previously hosted Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Las Vegas Bowl and multiple international soccer friendlies. The 2027 title game will be its first College Football Playoff final. Las Vegas becomes the third city in the Pacific time zone to host a CFP championship game, joining the Bay Area (which hosted the 2019 game at Levi’s Stadium) and Los Angeles (2023, SoFi Stadium). The CFP has described Las Vegas as a natural host city because of its entertainment infrastructure, large hotel capacity and experience in staging major sporting events including the Super Bowl, Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and NCAA men’s basketball tournament regional rounds.
Key Contenders
The 2026-27 college football season does not begin until late August, so the final field cannot yet be confirmed. The perennial contenders based on recruiting rankings, returning talent and preseason analyst projections include a familiar cluster of programmes from the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten. Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State and Michigan are expected to feature in the preseason top ten, with Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame and LSU also prominent in offseason projections.
The SEC has placed at least one team in every CFP national championship game since the format began in 2014, and that streak is expected to continue. The Big Ten has grown in strength since the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington in 2024, giving the conference a coast-to-coast reach and greater playoff depth. Ohio State enters the 2026 season as the reigning national champion after winning the 2025 title game, adding to the pressure on teams like Georgia and Alabama to reassert themselves at the top of the sport.
Group of Five representation is guaranteed by the automatic qualifying spot for the highest-ranked conference champion outside the Power Four, with Boise State, Tulane and Memphis among the programmes expected to contend for that berth. Notre Dame, independent but considered part of the top tier of the sport, typically challenges for an at-large bid when it reaches 10 wins. The selection committee reveals its first ranking of the season in early November.
How to Watch
The 2027 CFP National Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN, with ABC simulcasting the game for the first time in CFP history. This is a landmark moment for the championship game, as ABC’s free-to-air reach dramatically expands the potential domestic audience. Additional viewing options within the ESPN family include ESPN Deportes for Spanish-language coverage, ESPN Radio for audio commentary, and a suite of alternate broadcasts via the Megacast presentation. These alternate feeds typically include the Film Room with coaches’ analysis, the Skycam telecast, a data-focused broadcast and a fan-centric feed.
Streaming access is available through the ESPN app, ESPN+, Disney+ (which now bundles ESPN content in the US), and Hulu + Live TV. ABC’s local affiliates provide over-the-air access free of charge with a digital antenna. International viewers can watch via ESPN’s global network: in the UK, Sky Sports NFL or ESPN UK carries the game; in Canada, TSN holds the rights; in Australia, ESPN Australia; and in Latin America, ESPN’s regional network. DAZN offers streaming in several European markets. The ESPN Deportes broadcast is also available on cable and streaming services across Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
History and Records
The College Football Playoff replaced the BCS after the 2013 season, giving college football its first true playoff after more than a century of debate. The first CFP National Championship was played on 12 January 2015 in Arlington, Texas, and was won by Ohio State, who beat Oregon 42-20. Alabama has been the most dominant programme of the CFP era, winning six national titles under Nick Saban, including back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022. Clemson’s 2019 title, sealed by a 44-16 demolition of Alabama in Santa Clara, is the most lopsided final of the CFP era.
Georgia won consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023 under Kirby Smart, emulating Alabama’s earlier runs. Michigan broke a 26-year title drought with their 2024 victory over Washington, and Ohio State added a second CFP title in the first year of the 12-team format by winning the 2025 championship game. The 12-team era has already produced more upsets and drama, with lower seeds advancing further than many had predicted.
Individual records in the championship game include Deshaun Watson’s 420 passing yards for Clemson against Alabama in 2017, and Stetson Bennett IV’s four-touchdown performance for Georgia in the 2023 final. The largest margin of victory is Clemson’s 28-point win in 2019. The closest was Alabama’s 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the 2018 CFP Championship in Atlanta, decided by Tua Tagovailoa’s 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. The expected television audience for the 2027 final is in the range of 20 to 25 million viewers, similar to recent editions.
Tickets and Attendance
Public ticket sales for the 2027 CFP National Championship are handled through the official CFP ticket portal in partnership with On Location, the league’s official hospitality provider. Face-value ticket prices for recent championship games have ranged from around $300 in the upper bowl to more than $1,500 for club and premium seating. A limited public on-sale is typically held a year out, with the bulk of tickets allocated to the two competing schools, CFP partners and broadcast rights holders.
Hospitality packages are sold through On Location and include pre-game tailgates, field-level access, premium catering and post-game receptions. Las Vegas hotel packages combining accommodation and match-day transport are available through CFP-approved travel partners and typically go on sale in the autumn before the game. Secondary market prices on StubHub, SeatGeek and VividSeats fluctuate based on the two finalists, with matchups involving blue-blood programmes such as Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame commanding significantly higher prices. The CFP Fan Central experience at the Las Vegas Convention Center is free to attend and includes autograph sessions, interactive games and merchandise stands.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the CFP National Championship 2027 start?
Kick-off is at 7:30 pm ET on Monday 25 January 2027 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Where is the 2027 College Football Playoff Championship being held?
At Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
How can I watch the 2027 CFP National Championship?
Live on ESPN and ABC in the United States, with streaming on ESPN+, Disney+ and the ESPN app. International coverage is on TSN in Canada, ESPN UK or Sky Sports NFL in Britain, and ESPN Australia.
Who won the CFP National Championship last year?
Ohio State, who won the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, the first title of the 12-team playoff era.
How many teams are in the College Football Playoff?
Twelve, with automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large berths decided by the selection committee. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye.