Arlington’s AT&T Stadium has lost its chance to host the 2029 College Football Playoff national championship after the committee in charge of North Texas’ bid to host the game tapped out due to scheduling conflicts, reports say.
The stadium was in the running to host the game last May, according to Sports Business Journal. At the time, Texas officials were negotiating hosting with New Orleans and Miami, which have since been chosen to host the 2028 and 2030 games, respectively.
Now that Texas has tapped out, Tampa will instead host the 2029 game, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported.
A primary reason for North Texas’ withdrawal was ongoing construction projects at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which began in 2024 and could last through 2029, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The bidding committee was concerned there would not be enough room to accommodate the fan fest that comes with the national championship game, which requires a 450,000-square-foot space, Dallas Morning News reports.
North Texas’ financial ability to host the game could also be impacted by decisions from this year’s Texas legislative session, which is reviewing its support for the state’s Event Trust Funds Program.
The program helps cities pay costs related to preparing for and hosting large events. Ahead of an event, the state pre-deposits an event’s projected local and state tax revenue into a dedicated event-specific trust fund to cover allowable expenses.
Arlington City Council listed support for the program as a top request of lawmakers heading into the session. The city has used the program to host large events like WWE WrestleMania 38 in 2022 and the 2020 Big 12 Football Conference Championship Game.
AT&T Stadium last hosted the national championship in 2015, and has since hosted five College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. On Jan. 10, AT&T Stadium hosted the Cotton Bowl matchup between Texas and Ohio State.
Drew Shaw is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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