Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been confirmed by the College Football Playoff (CFP) as host of its 2025 National Championship, with Atlanta set to become the first city to stage the title game for a second time.
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.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium held the fourth edition of the event in 2018, a 26-23 win for Alabama Crimson Tide over the Georgia Bulldogs. The home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons replaces Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, which had been originally named as the 2025 host only for a scheduling conflict to arise.
Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, 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. 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.”
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.
“The vision for Mercedes-Benz Stadium is to attract the world’s largest events time and time again,” said Tim Zulawski, chief revenue officer of the venue’s operator, AMB Sports & Entertainment.
“The College Football Playoff National Championship was one of the first major events hosted at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2018 and we are honoured 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.”
Yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) announcement came a day after Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, was awarded hosting rights to the 2026 CFP National Championship.
The CFP’s management committee said that it had selected the site for the 2025 game, without confirming its destination, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium having been strongly linked to the rights.
Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, staged the 2022 National Championship game, which saw the Georgia Bulldogs defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide. Next year’s game will be held at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, while the 2024 event will take place at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans.
Image: Atlanta Sports Council
