Taking place on New Year’s Eve for the second consecutive season, Las Vegas Bowl XXXV will be played Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026, at 12:45 p.m. PT (3:45 p.m. ET) at Allegiant Stadium and televised by ESPN.

With a scheduled matchup featuring a team from the SEC vs. a representative from either the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC or Oregon State and Washington State (each featuring teams from the former Pac-12 Conference), on-sale timing for tickets will be announced at a later date. This will mark only the fourth Las Vegas Bowl to take place post-Christmas. Last year’s edition saw Utah down Nebraska 44-22.

“Culminating with the CFP National Championship, this is going to be a milestone year for college football in Las Vegas and our game taking place on New Year’s Eve in its 35th season will make it even more special,” said John Saccenti, executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl. “The attractive holiday kickoff time allows fans here to enjoy the game in person and those across the country to tune in for a historic matchup before continuing to celebrate their New Year’s Eve. Our city looks forward to again hosting two great fanbases in the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World.” 

The Las Vegas Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN.

“Las Vegas has proudly hosted the Las Vegas Bowl for decades, and this year is especially meaningful as we look ahead to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January,” said Janis Burke, chief sports officer at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “There is no better place to celebrate college football or New Year’s Eve than Las Vegas, and we look forward to the excitement this game and weekend will bring.”

Follow the Las Vegas Bowl on social media:

Website: www.lvbowl.com

Twitter: @LasVegasBowl

Facebook: facebook.com/lvbowl

Instagram: @lvbowl

Allegiant Stadium

Located adjacent to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and home to the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium is an award-winning global events destination. The state-of-the-art, fully enclosed, multipurpose venue, with a capacity of more than 65,000, hosts the world's biggest artists, most sought-after tours and premier sporting events including Super Bowl LVIII, multiple NFL Pro Bowls, WrestleMania 41 and 42, CONCACAF Gold Cup Final and UNLV Rebels football. Allegiant Stadium will also host the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship, the 2028 Men's Final Four and Super Bowl LXIII in 2029. Allegiant Stadium is committed to giving back to the community through diversity, inclusion, and outreach initiatives. In addition, Allegiant Stadium is proud to be LEED Gold-certified, powered by 100 percent Nevada-sourced renewable energy and dedicated to implementing sustainable practices and programs. For more information, visit allegiantstadium.com or follow @allegiantstadm on X and @allegiantstadium on Instagram.

ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes three early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

Follow ESPN Events on Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.

-30-

Las Vegas Bowl contact: Mark Wallington at mark.wallington@unlv.edu (702) 528-6291

Position Sports contact: Jeff Motley at jeff.motley@positionsports.com (702) 210-4158

ESPN Communications contact: Danny Chi at danny.c.chi@espn.com (213) 405-4400