Las Vegas has always known how to throw a party on New Year’s Eve — and this year, the celebration starts at Allegiant Stadium. The 35th edition of the Las Vegas Bowl will take the field on Thursday, December 31, 2026, with a 12:45 p.m. PT kickoff, marking the second straight year the game is played on New Year’s Eve.
The holiday matchup pairs a team from the SEC against a representative from the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, or one of the legacy Pac-12 programs, Oregon State or Washington State. The specific teams will be announced in early December after the regular season and conference championship games, but the level of play is guaranteed: last year Utah topped Nebraska 44-22 in the same festive slot, and in 2024 USC edged Texas A&M 35-31.
The game will be televised nationally by ESPN, one of 17 bowl games operated by ESPN Events. It is only the fourth time the Las Vegas Bowl has been played after Christmas, and the midday kickoff lets fans enjoy the full stadium experience before the city’s legendary New Year’s Eve celebrations take over the Strip.
This bowl game is just one stop in a historic stretch for Las Vegas sports: Allegiant Stadium will also host the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 25, 2027, the 2028 Men’s Final Four, and Super Bowl LXIII in 2029. Ticket on-sale dates for the Las Vegas Bowl will be announced soon.
Photo: Frogis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
