The College Football Championship Game will be played in Glendale in 2016 and Tampa in 2017, playoff organizers officially announced today.
University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ will host the College Football Championship Game on Monday, January 11, 2016. The stadium has a capacity of 63,400 but is expandable to 72,200.
The 2017 College Football Championship Game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Monday, January 9, 2017. Raymond James has a seating capacity of 65,890.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the first ever College Football Championship Game would be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be played on January 12, 2015 following the two semifinal games.
The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will host the first two semifinal games on Thursday, January 1, 2015. The two games will pit the no. 1 seed vs. the no. 4 seed and the no. 2 seed vs. the no. 3 seed. A 13-member selection committee will seed the four playoff teams.
Here is a look at the venues for the first three years of the playoff:
2014-15
Semifinal Game – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA), Jan. 1, 2015Semifinal Game – Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA), Jan. 1, 2015
Championship Game – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX), Jan. 12, 2015
2015-16
Semifinal Game – Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX), Dec. 31, 2015
Semifinal Game – Orange Bowl (Miami, FL), Dec. 31, 2015
Championship Game – U. of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, AZ), Jan. 11, 2016
2016-17
Semifinal Game – Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA), Dec. 31, 2016
Semifinal Game – Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ), Dec. 31, 2016
Championship Game – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL), Jan. 9, 2017
College Football Playoff Schedule (through 2025-26)