2026 College Football Playoff Championship: Schedule, TV Info, and Venue

The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game is shaping up to be one for the books. This year, the big showdown lands on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium down in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Fans are already buzzing about the end of the college football season. Here’s a rundown of what’s on tap for the schedule, the teams in the hunt, and how to catch every moment leading up to the final.

Schedule and Broadcast Information

The College Football Playoff (CFP) schedule is, frankly, loaded with matchups that could go either way. Things kick off with the first round on Dec. 19-20, 2025.

Quarterfinals follow on Dec. 31, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026. The semifinals are set for Jan. 8-9, 2026.

And of course, the National Championship Game itself will air on ESPN. You’ll be able to stream it on the ESPN App and ESPN+ if you’re not glued to your TV.

First Round Matchups

The first round is stacked with some wild pairings:

• No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama – Dec. 19, 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
• No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.) – Dec. 20, 12 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN, WatchESPN
• No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane – Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, HBO Max
• No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison – Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, HBO Max

Quarterfinals

Winners from the first round will run into the top seeds in the quarterfinals:

• No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Miami (Fla.) winner – Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET at the Cotton Bowl on ESPN, WatchESPN
• No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon/No. 12 James Madison winner – Jan. 1, 12 p.m. ET at the Orange Bowl on ESPN, WatchESPN
• No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama winner – Jan. 1, 4 p.m. ET at the Rose Bowl on ESPN, WatchESPN
• No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 11 Tulane winner – Jan. 1, 8 p.m. ET at the Sugar Bowl on ESPN, WatchESPN

Semifinals

The semifinals are set for two legendary stadiums:

• Fiesta Bowl – Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m. ET in Glendale, Arizona on ESPN, WatchESPN
• Peach Bowl – Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET in Atlanta on ESPN, WatchESPN

Teams to Watch

Let’s check out the 12 teams fighting for a spot in that championship game:

• No. 1 Indiana – 13-0 (9-0 Big Ten), 2 CFP appearances, 0-1 record, 0 titles
• No. 2 Ohio State – 12-1 (9-0 Big Ten), 7 CFP appearances, 7-4 record, 2 titles
• No. 3 Georgia – 12-1 (7-1 SEC), 5 CFP appearances, 5-2 record, 2 titles
• No. 4 Texas Tech – 12-1 (8-1 Big 12), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles
• No. 5 Oregon – 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten), 3 CFP appearances, 1-2 record, 1 title
• No. 6 Ole Miss – 11-1 (7-1 SEC), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles
• No. 7 Texas A&M – 11-1 (7-1 SEC), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles
• No. 8 Oklahoma – 10-2 (6-2 SEC), 5 CFP appearances, 0-4 record, 0 titles
• No. 9 Alabama – 10-3 (7-1 SEC), 9 CFP appearances, 9-5 record, 3 titles
• No. 10 Miami (Fla.) – 10-2 (6-2 ACC), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles
• No. 11 Tulane – 11-2 (7-1 American), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles
• No. 12 James Madison – 12-1 (8-0 Sun Belt), 1 CFP appearance, 0-0 record, 0 titles

Historical Context

The College Football Playoff era kicked off in 2014 with just four teams in the mix. It’s expanding to a 12-team format for the 2024-25 season—finally, right?

Here are the past CFP National Championship Game results:

• 2015 – No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20 (Arlington, Texas)
• 2016 – No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40 (Glendale, Ariz.)
• 2017 – No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31 (Tampa, Fla.)
• 2018 – No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23 (Atlanta, Ga.)
• 2019 – No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16 (Santa Clara, Calif.)
• 2020 – No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25 (New Orleans, La.)
• 2021 – No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24 (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• 2022 – No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• 2023 – No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7 (Inglewood, Calif.)
• 2024 – No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13 (Houston, Texas)
• 2025 – No. 8 Ohio State 34, No. 7 Notre Dame 23 (Atlanta, Ga.)

If you want more details or the latest updates, you can check out the official NCAA website. There’s always something new brewing in college football.