Atlanta To Host 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship

ATLANTA (Aug. 16, 2022) – For the second time in less than a decade, the city of Atlanta will host the 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. The game is slated for Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  Atlanta becomes the first city to repeat as a host destination for college football’s biggest game.

The Atlanta Sports Council spearheaded the bid alongside its partners in the community including the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Atlanta, Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the State of Georgia.

“This is a big win for everyone involved and we are excited for the Atlanta community,” said Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council. “As soon as we wrapped up the successful hosting of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, we were ready and eager to throw our name back into the hat. Atlanta is accustomed to hosting major sporting events, but this event is one that fits our community really well. We are grateful to the College Football Playoff for allowing us this opportunity for a second time and look forward to officially beginning the planning process with multiple partners in the community.”

“We are excited to return the College Football Playoff National Championship to Atlanta,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said.  “When the playoff was created, the goal was to move the national championship game to 10 different communities in the first 10 years of the playoff.  After visiting 10 different communities during our first 10 years of existence, we accomplished our goal of sharing this celebration of college football with the entire country.”

“Bringing the game back to Atlanta was a simple decision when we looked at everything,” Hancock added.  “One of our greatest title games took place in Atlanta in 2018, and the city could not have been a better host.  A state-of-the-art stadium, a walkable downtown with venues to host all the activities surrounding national championship weekend and great people made Atlanta an obvious choice to be the first city to host a second title game.”

The Atlanta Sports Council and the College Football Playoff made the announcement in conjunction with the offices of Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens—both of whom were in attendance.

“We are excited that the State of Georgia and Mercedes-Benz Stadium have been selected to host the College Football Playoff National Championship for the second time in the past ten years,” said Governor Kemp. “As the premier event of the college football season, and through the collaboration of the State, City of Atlanta, and our business community, we look forward to hosting more than 100,000 guests who will enjoy Georgia’s southern hospitality and a first-class experience.”

“The best of Atlanta will be showcased during the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, and Atlanta’s unmatched culture, hospitality, and infrastructure will be on full display as we welcome visitors from all over the nation,” said Mayor Dickens.

“With several major sporting events set to take place in Georgia in the near future, such as the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Semifinal, SEC Championship and the FIFA World Cup matches in 2026, I am thrilled that Georgia will continue to serve as a major sports hub with the addition of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship,” said Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan. “The Peach State will once again have the chance to show football fans from across the country all that our great state has to offer. As the number one state in the nation in which to do business, this announcement brings us yet another step closer to also being the number one state in the nation for sports entertainment.”

“We are proud to welcome the College Football Playoff National Championship back to Georgia and the city of Atlanta,” said Speaker of the House David Ralston. “Georgia is the preeminent destination for major events, and today’s announcement only reinforces our reputation for southern hospitality. I applaud the work of all the public and private partners who came together to make this possible and look forward to a great game in 2025!”

“The vision for Mercedes-Benz Stadium is to attract the world’s largest events time and time again,” said AMB Sport & Entertainment Chief Revenue Officer Tim Zulawski.  “The College Football Playoff National Championship was one of the first major events hosted at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2018 and we are honored to be the first venue to host this pinnacle moment in college football for a second time, and to see another champion crowned inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

Similar to 2018, the Atlanta Football Host Committee will be housed under the Atlanta Sports Council’s Championship Hosting Division alongside the 2026 FIFA World Cup.   Two Atlanta-based companies have already pledged their support to the Atlanta Football Host Committee, including Chick-fil-A and Georgia Power.

Highlights from the 2018 CFP National Championship include:

• First presidential visit to a college football championship since 1980
• First-ever national championship game to go into overtime in the CFP era
• First-ever national championship game held in a LEED platinum certified stadium
• More than 125,000 guests attended Championship Campus events in downtown Atlanta in conjunction with the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship
• Atlanta earned its highest rating on record for a college football game on ESPN with a 47.8 rating

About the Atlanta Football Host Committee

Formed in 2016 under the Championship Hosting Division of the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Football Host Committee (AFHC) serves as an extension of the College Football Playoff Group in the local community. The organization is responsible for assisting with the planning and production of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship and accompanying fan events. The AFHC is comprised of local leaders in business, sports and tourism and its mission is to host a one-of-a-kind championship experience for student-athletes, university representatives, media and college football fans.

About College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games -- the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game. This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Los Angeles region will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium.

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