NCAA FOOTBALL
Where is the 2023 CFP National Championship being played? Past and future venues
The College Football Playoff National Championship will be played at SoFi Stadium on January 9, marking the first trip to LA for the big game.
National Championship Games, like Super Bowls, tend to gravitate toward the sun. Favored locations have traditionally been in the south or on the west coast, with cities such as Miami, New Orleans, and Tempe, Arizona getting tapped far in excess of their relative size or importance.
Venues line up for CFP National Championships
When Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium welcomes Georgia and TCU on January 9th, this will be the first time that the CFP National Championship game will be contested there. During the BCS era, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena saw four champions crowned, and since the CFP era began, the Bay Area has hosted the big game once.
Only once has the national championship been decided outside of the Sun Belt, when Georgia upset top seed Alabama in last year’s final held in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
Since 1998, the venues that have hosted the national championship game are as follows:
YEAR | HOST VENUE |
---|---|
1998 | Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona) |
1999 | Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La) |
2000 | Pro Player Stadium (Miami, Fl) |
2001 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Ca) |
2002 | Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona) |
2003 | Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La) |
2004 | Pro Player Stadium (Miami, Fl) |
2005 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Ca) |
2006 | University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Az) |
2007 | Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans, La) |
2008 | Dolphin Stadium (Miami, Fl) |
2009 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Ca) |
2010 | University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Az) |
2011 | Mercedes Benz Superdome (New Orleans, La) |
2012 | Sun Life Stadium (Miami, Fl) |
2013 | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Ca) |
In November of 2017, along with the announcement of SoFi as the host venue for this year’s game, Houston was named for next year’s final. In January of 2022, a further two host cities were announced with Atlanta and Miami getting the nod.
During the CFP era, the host cities have been as follows:
YEAR | HOST VENUE |
---|---|
2014 | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Tx) |
2015 | State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Az) |
2016 | Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fl) |
2017 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga) |
2018 | Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, Ca) |
2019 | Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, La) |
2020 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fl) |
2021 | Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, In) |
2022 | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Ca) |
2023 | NRG Stadium (Houston, Tx) |
2024 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Ga) |
2025 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fl) |