Upcoming California Golden Bears Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Cal football in brief: Wonder Teams to the ACC
The California Golden Bears play home football games at California Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus, an open-air stadium that seats about 63,000 for football. Home games run from late August or early September through November. In September 2026 Cal announced a naming-rights deal under which the playing field is called Databricks Field at California Memorial Stadium.
Cal began playing football in the 1880s and claims five national championships (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1937). Andy Smith's "Wonder Teams" went 50 straight games without a loss from 1920 to 1925, and the 1937 "Thunder Team" beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Pappy Waldorf's teams of 1947–1950 won 33 straight regular-season games and reached three Rose Bowls.
After more than a century in the Pacific Coast, Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12 conferences, Cal moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2024 season, along with Stanford. The program's best-known modern figures include Aaron Rodgers, who led the 2004 team to a 10–1 regular season, and Jared Goff, who set 26 school records.
Where to sit at California Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium opened in 1923 as a war memorial modeled on the Roman Colosseum, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hayward Fault runs beneath the field nearly goal post to goal post, so the stadium was built in two halves: the east side set into the hillside and the west side holding the main structure. The rebuild completed for the 2012 season demolished and rebuilt the west side behind its historic facade, adding club seating and a new press box on top, while the east side stayed largely as it was. The field runs northwest to southeast.
West side vs. east side
The rebuilt west side has the modern amenities, seat backs in club areas and views east toward the Berkeley Hills and Strawberry Canyon. During the rebuild the field was lowered four feet so the lowest west-side seats are no longer blocked by the visiting team standing on the sideline. The east side is the older, original bowl, with fewer amenities; its upper rows look west over the field to San Francisco Bay, one of the best views in college football. As a general rule, the east side faces the afternoon sun because it looks west, while the west side has the sun at its back.
Sideline vs. end zone
Seats between the 30-yard lines on either side give the best football view, and middle rows of the lower bowl balance closeness with sightlines. End zone seats cost less. Since 2022 the four southernmost sections have been tarped off, with a terrace built in the middle connected to the concourse, so that end feels different from the rest of the bowl.
Tightwad Hill
The hillside above the east rim, known as Tightwad Hill, has long drawn people watching for free, especially during the Big Game. It is a campus landmark, not a ticketed area.
The Big Game and the other games that draw a crowd
Demand in Berkeley rises and falls with the opponent more than at most Power Four schools. The games to plan around:
- Stanford, the Big Game. First played in 1892 and one of the oldest rivalries in the country, with the Stanford Axe going to the winner. The game moves between the two campuses, so check whether a given year's Big Game is in Berkeley or Palo Alto before you buy. Cal held the Axe after four straight wins from 2021 to 2024.
- UCLA. The two largest public universities in California met in the same conference for 95 years, and the teams are scheduled to keep playing through at least 2029.
- SMU. A protected annual ACC opponent along with Stanford under the league's scheduling model.
- ACC newcomers. Visits from East Coast programs such as Miami, Clemson or Florida State are rare in Berkeley. Cal hosted its first College GameDay before the Miami game on October 5, 2024.
Night games and Homecoming also lift demand, while early non-conference games are usually the easiest way into the stadium.
Card stunts, Big Game week and Cal traditions
Cal's student card stunts date to 1910, when the first one was performed at the Big Game at the old California Field. Students then also began the postgame "serpentine" around the field mentioned in the song "Big C." The Joe Roth Memorial Game, a tradition since 1977, honors the All-American quarterback who played through melanoma and died weeks after his last game; Cal designates its annual home game against UCLA or USC for it.
The Big Game itself is the center of the calendar, and the most famous play in its history happened at Memorial Stadium: The Play in 1982, when Cal used five laterals on the final kickoff return, after a Stanford field goal with four seconds left, to win 25–20. Another of the sport's oddest moments belongs to Cal too: Roy Riegels's wrong-way run in the 1929 Rose Bowl.
Getting to Berkeley on gameday
Parking near the stadium is limited, so transit is the practical choice. For the 2026 season, Cal Athletics says free gameday shuttles connect Downtown Berkeley BART with UC parking lots and stadium drop-off points, running from about two and a half hours before kickoff until an hour after the game. From the shuttle stops it is about a 5- to 10-minute walk to the stadium, and free golf carts help fans with mobility needs reach the gates.
UC lots such as Lower Hearst, the Genetics Garage, Lower Sproul and the Bancroft structure sell flat-rate gameday parking, card only. Roads close in stages: Stadium Rimway four hours before kickoff, then Piedmont Avenue, Gayley Road, Bancroft Way and Warring Street two hours before. The stadium sits up a hill at the mouth of Strawberry Canyon, so wear comfortable shoes. Check the Cal parking and transportation page for current details.
How Cal football tickets work
Season-ticket holders and donors hold the best sideline seats, including the endowment and club seating created with the 2012 renovation. Students receive their own allocation. For most of the schedule the public can buy single-game seats, and the stadium rarely sells out except for the Big Game, opening weekends and visits from high-profile opponents.
Resale fills the gap for those games and gives fans a wider choice of specific sections on every date. Prices on the secondary market follow the opponent, the kickoff time and how the season is going; a Big Game in Berkeley or a night game against a ranked ACC opponent tends to hold its price, while a mid-season game against an unranked opponent often softens in the last few days. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.
Bag, entry and mobile-ticket rules are set by Cal Athletics and can change each season, so check the current gameday policies before you go.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the California Golden Bears play home football games?
Cal plays at California Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. It opened in 1923, was rebuilt from 2010 to 2012 and seats about 63,000; the field is now called Databricks Field under a deal announced in September 2026.
What is the Big Game?
The Big Game is Cal's annual rivalry game against Stanford, first played in 1892. The winner takes home the Stanford Axe, and the game is played at either Berkeley or Palo Alto, so check the site for the year you want.
How do I get to Cal football games by BART?
Ride BART to Downtown Berkeley. For the 2026 season, free gameday shuttles run from there toward the stadium starting about two and a half hours before kickoff.
What is Tightwad Hill?
Tightwad Hill is the hillside above the east side of Memorial Stadium where people have long watched games for free. It is not part of the ticketed stadium.
What conference is Cal in?
Cal has played in the Atlantic Coast Conference since the 2024 season. Before that it spent more than a century in the Pac-12 and its predecessor conferences.