Celebration Bowl Tickets

The HBCU championship game: what the Celebration Bowl is

The Celebration Bowl is the annual game between the champion of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It serves as the de facto national championship of HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) football in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, the level below the major-college FBS). The 2026 game, the 11th edition, is scheduled for Saturday, December 12, 2026, at noon Eastern on ABC, and it opens the college bowl season.

Since 2020 the game has carried Cricket Wireless as title sponsor, which is why it is widely searched as the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The Air Force Reserve sponsored it in 2015, 2016 and 2018. ESPN Events operates the bowl in partnership with the Atlanta Falcons and 100 Black Men of Atlanta, which organizes community events during the week. Unlike most bowls, there is no at-large selection: the two conference champions earn the spots, and the SWAC decides its champion in its own title game.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium and where to sit

Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017 and seats about 71,000 for football, expandable to 75,000. Its retractable roof of eight translucent panels and the ring-shaped Halo video board, roughly 58 by 1,100 feet, hang over the field, and the climate-controlled building makes December weather irrelevant. Seating is on three levels: the 100 level (the lower bowl closest to the field), the 200 level with its clubs and lofts, and the 300 level (the upper deck).

Seat judgment for this game

• 100-level sideline seats are the best all-around choice, close to the field and to the bands.
• The middle and upper rows of the 100 level often beat the first few rows, which sit low behind the team benches and sideline crowd.
• 200-level sideline seats give a clear, higher view of formations and band shows if you want to see the whole field.
• The upper 300 level is the budget option. It still looks straight down at the field and the Halo board, but crowds at this game have run from about 26,000 to about 50,000 in a 71,000-seat building, so the upper deck can feel removed from the energy below.

Fans of each school tend to gather together, so if you are attending with alumni, buy near your school's side once seating maps for the matchup are clear.

Bands, gameday schedule and the crowd

Marching band culture is central to HBCU football, and the Celebration Bowl builds its gameday around it. The 2026 fan schedule lists a College Band Jamboree at 9 a.m. and a High School Band Jamboree at 10 a.m., with sponsor activations and merchant vending through the morning and again after the game. Arrive early if the bands are part of why you are going. Plan to be in your seat at halftime too; for many in the crowd, the band performances are as much the event as the football.

The crowd draws heavily on alumni from across the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic, and the noon kickoff in mid-December makes it an easy weekend trip to Atlanta. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee.

How demand for Celebration Bowl tickets works

Attendance swings widely with the matchup, and that tracks resale demand. The two biggest crowds, 48,653 in 2021 and the record 49,670 in 2022, both featured Jackson State, a SWAC program with a large traveling fan base. The 2025 game, South Carolina State against Prairie View A&M, drew 26,703. A school within driving distance of Atlanta or one with a large alumni network in the region pushes demand up; a matchup of two far-off schools leaves more lower-level seats available.

The matchup is set only after the MEAC season ends and the SWAC championship game is played in early December, so the buying window is short. Sideline seats in the 100 level move first.

History and results

The first Celebration Bowl was played on December 19, 2015, at the Georgia Dome, where North Carolina A&T beat Alcorn State 41–34 before 35,528. The game moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which replaced the Georgia Dome as Atlanta's main stadium in 2017.

• Most successful program: North Carolina A&T, 4–0 in the game (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019).
• Highest scoring: North Carolina A&T 64, Alcorn State 44 in 2019.
• Canceled: 2020, after the MEAC canceled fall sports and the SWAC moved its season to spring 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Overtime classics: North Carolina Central over Jackson State 41–34 in overtime in 2022, and South Carolina State over Prairie View A&M 40–38 in four overtimes in 2025.
• Other recent winners: South Carolina State (2021), Florida A&M (2023) and Jackson State (2024).

Getting to the stadium, bags and entry

• MARTA: the closest rail stop is the SEC District station (formerly GWCC/CNN Center); Vine City station on the Blue and Green lines also serves the stadium. Rail is usually faster than driving into downtown on a game day.
• Parking: several lots and decks surround the stadium; buying a pass in advance saves time.
• Bags: the bowl's fan page lists a clear-bag policy: a transparent plastic, vinyl or PVC bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches or a one-gallon freezer bag, plus a small clutch.
• Payments: the stadium has been cashless since 2019 and is known for low concession pricing.

Policies are set for each event and can change; check the Celebration Bowl fan experience page before you go.

Sources

• ESPN Press Room – 2026–27 ESPN Events bowl schedule
• Celebration Bowl – Fan Experience
• Discover Atlanta – Celebration Bowl
• Wikipedia – Celebration Bowl
• Wikipedia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Clubs and Suites
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Parking and Transportation