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The game is the culmination of the postseason in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the NCAA’s premier football competition. As the final step in the CFP bracket, it determines the official national champion of college football for the season and sits at the very top of the American college football calendar.

The 2026 CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for January 19, 2026, and will be held in Miami Gardens, Florida. Staged at a neutral site, the location reflects the CFP’s rotating-host model, which brings the championship game to major U.S. football markets annually.

The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game is organized by the CFP, which is governed by the CFP Board of Managers and operated independently from the NCAA. It’s working in coordination with participating conferences, universities, and host committees to deliver the sport’s defining event.

Venue, Competitors’ Structure, and Prize Pool Overview for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game

The 2026 CFP National Championship Game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium. The venue is a regular host of major American football events, including Super Bowls and previous CFP championship games.

Given it’s the title game, it will feature two teams, specifically the winners of the College Football Playoff semifinals. At this stage, the exact teams aren’t yet known and will only be determined after the completion of the CFP bracket later in the season. The quarterfinals are scheduled.

The College Football Playoff National Championship doesn’t award a traditional prize pool to the two finalist teams. Instead, the CFP generates revenue from broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and commercial partnerships, which is then distributed through the College Football Playoff revenue-sharing system. Payouts are made primarily to:

• Participating conferences
• Semifinal and championship participants
• Conference revenue pools, which are later shared among member schools

Winning the national championship delivers prestige, recruiting power, and long-term financial impact rather than a direct winner’s prize, making the title itself the most valuable reward in U.S. college football.

Participating Teams in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game and Qualification Overview

Every NCAA Division I FBS program was technically eligible to reach the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, provided they met performance criteria during the regular season. That means all 134 FBS teams remain mathematically alive until they accumulate losses or fail to win their conferences. In practical, competitive terms, the strongest contenders usually come from:

• SEC
• Big Ten
• ACC
• Big 12
• Notre Dame (as an independent)

However, under the expanded playoff, Group of Five conference champions (e.g., AAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, MAC, Conference USA) also have a direct path to the playoff and, therefore, to the championship game. So, unlike the old four-team CFP, no conference is excluded by default anymore.

The College Football Playoff now uses a 12-team format to determine who can reach the national championship game:

• Automatic qualifiers (six teams) are the five highest-ranked conference champions, ranked by the CFP Selection Committee, not by conference size. This can include Power Five or Group of Five champions.
• At-large selections (six teams) are the next six highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference. These are typically elite teams that didn’t win their conference, finished with 1–2 losses, and ranked highly in strength of schedule and quality wins.

Once the 12 playoff teams are selected:

1. Top-4 teams
   • Receive first-round byes
   • Automatically advance to the quarterfinals
2. Teams ranked 5–12
   • Play in first-round playoff games (on campus sites)
3. Quarterfinals & semifinals
   • Played at neutral-site bowl venues
4. National Championship Game
   • Winners of the two semifinals advance
   • Only two teams remain

Here are the confirmed quarterfinal match-ups for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff, leading toward the 2026 CFP National Championship Game:

• No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami

• No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon
• No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama
• No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

Structure and Format of the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game

The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game is the final stage of a four-stage College Football Playoff (CFP), with two teams (the winners of the semifinals) competing to determine the US champion.

The National Championship Game follows standard American football rules:

• Single game (no best-of series)
• Four quarters × 15 minutes
• Standard NCAA overtime rules apply if the game is tied after regulation
• The winner is determined by final score (there’s no rematch)

The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Favorite, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Looking specifically at the quarterfinal matchups on the road to the 2026 CFP National Championship Game, four programs stand out as the clearest title favorites, combining seeding position, roster depth, and playoff experience.

Ohio State enters the quarterfinals as one of the most complete teams in the field. Georgia remains the ultimate playoff benchmark. Alabama continues to be a postseason force regardless of seed. Oregon rounds out the top tier of favorites.

The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is one of the most heavily bet-on events in U.S. sports. Betting markets are offered by licensed online sportsbooks and regulated retail bookmakers in jurisdictions where sports betting is legal. Betting sites using dollars surely stand out.

Typical betting options include:

• Moneyline (match winner)
• Point spread (handicap)
• Total points (over/under)
• Player performance props
• Live (in-play) betting, especially popular due to momentum swings

Because the final is a single game on a neutral site, odds are usually posted well in advance and adjust significantly based on semifinal outcomes, injuries, and public betting trends.

The 2026 CFP National Championship Game will be broadcast globally, with comprehensive coverage across television and digital platforms. In the United States, the game airs live on ESPN, including pregame shows, analysis, and postgame coverage. Streaming is available via ESPN’s digital platforms (ESPN App / ESPN+ authentication required). International viewers can watch via regional sports broadcasters that hold ESPN or CFP sublicensing rights, depending on territory.

Pros and Cons of the Favorites for Entering the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game