Frisco, Texas, has helped grow the FCS championship game while serving as its host since 2010. However, an upcoming renovation at Toyota Stadium has led to a switch to Nashville for both the 2025 and ’26 season championship games.
The NCAA has announced Vanderbilt University’s FirstBank Stadium in Nashville will host the Division I FCS championship game for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, marking a switch from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, due to that venue’s upcoming renovation.
Those national title games are scheduled for Jan. 5, 2026 and Jan. 4, 2027, respectively, although previous dates have been changed in recent years.
This season’s championship game will be held on Jan. 6 for the 15th time at Toyota Stadium – the most for any host city – but a three-year renovation project that is scheduled to begin this winter will decrease stadium capacity significantly from the usual 18,000 to 19,000 range. The newly renovated FirstBank Stadium seats about 35,000.
The NCAA announced the Toyota Stadium renovation project made it “necessary to look at other sites. The location of the game beyond (January) 2027 will be determined in a future bid cycle.”
“The city of Frisco and Toyota Stadium are incredible partners and have helped grow our championship to an exceptional level the past 15 years,” Ty Halpin, NCAA director of championships, said. “Frisco holds a special place in the history of the championship and in the hearts of our institutions and fans. The committee looks forward to seeing the renovations to the stadium in Frisco.”
The Nashville Sports Council and the Ohio Valley Conference will serve as co-hosts for the 2025 and ’26 FCS championship games along with the City of Nashville and Vanderbilt University.
The move to Nashville will mark a return to Tennessee, where the 1997-2009 FCS championship games were held in Chattanooga. Nashville will become the 11th different city to serve as the game’s host since the FCS began as Division I-AA in 1978.
The annual 24-team FCS playoffs utilize campus host sites until the neutral championship site. The 2024 playoffs have reached the quarterfinal round this weekend.
Top photo FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University. (AP)
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