The annual Army-Navy Game will return to its traditional place on the college football calendar in 2027, as the game has been moved up one week to Saturday, December 4, it was announced Monday.
The scheduling adjustment comes in response to the College Football Playoff’s expansion to a 24-team field beginning with the 2027 season. Under the new format, CFP competition will begin the weekend of Dec. 11, necessitating changes to the postseason calendar and creating a bye week across the remainder of the Football Bowl Subdivision the week prior.
As a result, the Army-Navy Game will once again occupy a standalone national stage on Dec. 4. The 2027 matchup, which will mark the 128th meeting all-time between the service academies, is set for Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., and will be televised by CBS with streaming on Paramount+.
“We are thankful to the city of Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field for their efforts to manage the date change of the 2027 Army-Navy Game to ensure the Game is played in its exclusive time slot on CBS,” said Tom Theodorakis, director of athletics and chief executive officer of Army West Point Athletic Association. “As we look ahead to future games, we are excited about the opportunity to build on our strong foundation and secure new commitments that demonstrate a shared passion to grow the game and drive economic impact in host cities.”
The Army-Navy Game was traditionally played on the first Saturday in December for much of its history, including 45 previous editions. Since 2009, however, the rivalry has been contested on the second Saturday of December, serving as college football’s lone FBS game following conference championship weekend.
“We appreciate the flexibility of the people of Philadelphia to accommodate this date change and we applaud the collaboration between the city of Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field and the academies,” said Michael Kelly, Director of Athletics of the Naval Academy and President of the Naval Academy Athletic Association. “We are also extremely grateful to the CFP leadership for their collaboration. Finding a way to preserve the exclusive broadcast window for America’s Game while ensuring our program has a rightful path to compete in the College Football Playoff is a tremendous outcome for our student-athletes and fans across the country.”
The scheduling shift also carries potential postseason implications. With the expanded CFP expected to include higher-ranked Group of Five champions and additional at-large selections, both Army and Navy could remain in Playoff contention later into the season without creating a conflict between the rivalry game and the start of CFP competition.
Navy defeated Army, 17-16, in last season’s matchup at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The Midshipmen have won two straight contests in the series and hold a 64-55-7 advantage overall.
Before the rivalry returns to Philadelphia in 2027, the 2026 Army-Navy Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
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Army nor Navy in this era of NIL will 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 be likely to make the CFP. How are they going to compete with so many P4 schools that are spending $50 mil like candy?
While not ranked by the CFP, Navy was ranked in the top 25 in the polls literally just last year when the CFP field was released, and the CFP will expand to 24 teams. Navy doesn't have to beat out all the P4 teams spending $50mm on their roster. Just G6 teams, who have far less money to spend on players.