AT&T Stadium loses out on 2029 college football championship hosting bid, sources say
AT&T Stadium is no longer in contention to host the College Football Playoff, sources tell WFAA.
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AT&T Stadium is no longer in contention to host the College Football Playoff, sources tell WFAA.
Author: Joe Trahan, Rachel Behrndt
Published: 1:19 PM CST January 20, 2025
Updated: 1:19 PM CST January 20, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas — AT&T Stadium will no longer host the 2029 College Football Playoffs Championship, multiple sources confirm to WFAA.
It's unclear exactly which city will take Dallas' 2029, but the bidding process is currently underway, sources told WFAA. The Cotton Bowl, which leads the bidding process for AT&T Stadium, chose to defer its bid, sources said.
One report, from Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, suggests that Tampa has already been selected as the new host city.
Sources attribute the Cotton Bowl's decision to withdraw its 2029 to two factors -- that the Texas Legislature is considering adjusting the state's Events Trust Funds Program (calling into question how much money the state might chip in toward incentives) and whether the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas will be complete by 2029.
The Convention Center would likely be a key site for championship-related festivities.
Even without the CFP Championship game, however, sources told WFAA that the new deal between ESPN and the College Football Playoffs, which takes effect in the 2026-2027 season, will see The Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium still hosting its fair share of CFP contests.
Per those sources, the venue also known as Jerry World is slated to host semifinal games in two of the first three years of the new agreement (2026-2027 and 2028-2029), as well as a quarterfinal game in the third (2027-2028).
Miami is slated to host the championship in 2026.
AT&T Stadium last hosted a College Football championship in 2015.
