Sports
ACC Championship Game to End in Charlotte After 2026 as Playoff Expands to 24 Teams
The ACC Football Championship Game will be played in Charlotte for the last time on Dec. 5, 2026, after the College Football Playoff and ESPN agreed to a five-year, $1.7 billion deal expanding the postseason to 24 teams and eliminating Power 4 conference title games.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. â The Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game will be played in Charlotte for the final time on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at noon at Bank of America Stadium, the conference confirmed Monday after the College Football Playoff and ESPN signed a five-year agreement that will reshape the sport's postseason.
The deal, worth nearly $1.7 billion according to ESPN's reporting, expands the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams beginning after the 2027 regular season. The new format eliminates the conference championship games staged by the Power 4 leagues â the ACC, Southeastern Conference, Big 12 and Big Ten â replacing them with a system in which each conference determines its champion through its own method.
The 24-team bracket will include 19 at-large bids, the four Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked team from the Group of 6 conferences. The regular season will open on "Week Zero," the weekend before Labor Day, and conclude on Thanksgiving weekend. The national championship game will remain on its previously announced date of Jan. 24, 2028.
For Charlotte, the change closes a chapter that made the city a fixture of ACC football. The Queen City has hosted 15 of the last 16 ACC championship games at Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. The 2026 edition will be the 22nd annual title game.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips praised the city and its partners in a statement, calling the championship game "an important and meaningful part of our Conference's history." He thanked the student-athletes, coaches, institutions, fans and corporate partners who built the event, and singled out Charlotte's role.
"Charlotte has embraced this event and our Conference in a truly special way," Phillips said. "We are sincerely thankful to the Carolina Panthers, Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the City of Charlotte and the people of this great community for their remarkable partnership, hospitality and passion for ACC Football."
Phillips framed the expansion as an opportunity rather than a loss, saying the larger playoff "presents an exciting new chapter for college football and additional opportunities for ACC programs to compete on the sport's biggest stage."
The shift carries significant stakes for the local economy and for fans who have made the championship weekend a tradition. The game has drawn visitors to uptown Charlotte hotels, restaurants and businesses each December, and its departure removes a marquee event from the city's sports calendar. It also raises questions about how the conference will crown its champion going forward and whether Charlotte can attract future playoff games under the expanded format.
The announcement comes as college football's power structure continues to consolidate around a single, larger postseason controlled by the playoff and its broadcast partners. The $1.7 billion contract with ESPN, first reported by the network, underscores the growing financial weight of the playoff and the leverage of its media rights.
For now, the focus turns to Dec. 5, when the ACC will stage its final championship game in Charlotte. Kickoff is set for noon at Bank of America Stadium.