Upcoming Citrus Bowl 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.
What the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl is
The Citrus Bowl is a college football bowl game played around New Year's at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, matching teams from the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The next game, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, is scheduled for Saturday, January 2, 2027, at noon Eastern on ABC. Cheez-It has been the title sponsor since 2023.
The bowl is run by Florida Citrus Sports, a not-for-profit event organization that also stages the Pop-Tarts Bowl at the same stadium. The Citrus Bowl's own description is that it takes the top Big Ten and SEC teams outside the CFP's group of major bowls (the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange, Cotton and Peach). In practice that usually means a pair of ranked teams from two of the largest conferences in the sport, both with fan bases within driving or short-flight distance of Central Florida. The game first kicked off on January 1, 1947, as the Tangerine Bowl, and the bowl calls itself the seventh-oldest in college football.
Dates, kickoff and team selection
For most of its history the game was played at 1 p.m. Eastern on New Year's Day, moving off January 1 when that date fell on a Sunday. The schedule has shifted with the playoff era:
- January 2, 2023: moved because New Year's Day was a Sunday.
- January 1, 2024: the traditional slot.
- December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2025: New Year's Eve games.
- January 2, 2027: the next game, a Saturday noon kickoff.
Teams are chosen after the College Football Playoff fills its bracket and its bowls, so the matchup is usually announced in early December. Tie-ins are renegotiated periodically, and the bowl's partner list has included the MAC, the Southern Conference and the ACC in past decades, so confirm the pairing for any given season. Demand is set by the matchup: two large, traveling fan bases, or a team from within the state, tend to tighten the market quickly once the teams are named.
Camping World Stadium and how the seats are numbered
Camping World Stadium opened in late 1936 as Orlando Stadium and has been known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl. It is owned by the City of Orlando and sits in the West Lakes neighborhood near downtown. A reconstruction completed in 2014, at a cost of about 207 million dollars, demolished the lower bowl and replaced it with roughly 41,000 chairback seats, wider concourses and new amenities. Wikipedia lists the football capacity at 60,219, expandable to 65,194.
Sections by side
- East sideline: field-level sections 103–113, plaza-level P02–P14 and terrace-level 201–215.
- West sideline: field-level sections 129–139, plaza-level P28–P40 and terrace-level 227–241.
- End zones: the numbers in between, with plaza sections around P18–P24 behind the south goal line.
A stadium under construction
In January 2024, Orange County approved 400 million dollars in tourist development tax revenue for a second major renovation. The plan replaces the upper decks built in the 1980s with new upper decks on the east, west and south sides, adds a North Endzone Tower that encloses the seating bowl, renovates the suite and terrace levels and builds a 100,000-square-foot fieldhouse. Florida Citrus Sports describes the upper areas being rebuilt with modern chairback seats. While the work continues, section numbers, capacity and the location of premium areas can change from one season to the next, so rely on the seat map attached to your listing rather than an older chart.
Where to sit, and how to find shade
The stadium runs north to south, and its tiers do not overlap, so no seat sits under a deck above it and there is no canopy. Shade comes only from the structure itself. That matters for a noon kickoff, even in January.
- West sideline field level (129–139): the best all-around choice. It is the side that gains shade as the afternoon goes on.
- East sideline (103–113 and the plaza above): the same view from the other side, in the sun from early afternoon until sunset. Often a better value than the matching west seats; bring a hat and sunscreen.
- South end zone plaza (about P18–P24): according to shade guides, the most reliable shade during an early-afternoon game, at the cost of an end-zone angle and having to turn around to see the main scoreboard.
- Upper levels: the lowest-demand seats, and the area most affected by construction. Stay between the 20-yard lines if you sit high.
Rows near the very front of the lower bowl put you close but low, behind players and staff standing on the sideline. A few rows up, the full field opens up. Fan bases tend to cluster behind their team's bench, so check bench assignments if sitting among your own fans matters.
Bowl week in Orlando
The bowl's published schedule includes a Citrus Bowl FanFest on December 31 and pregame hospitality packages, with details posted on the official site as the game approaches. Because Orlando is one of the country's largest tourism markets, many fans turn the game into a family trip built around the theme parks, which puts pressure on hotel rooms during the holiday week. Book lodging early if you are traveling, and expect heavier traffic on the interstates around the attractions.
History and name changes
Few bowls have changed names as often. The game was the Tangerine Bowl from 1947 through 1982 and the Florida Citrus Bowl from 1983 through 1993, then took on sponsors: CompUSA (1994–1999), Ourhouse.com (2000), Capital One (2003–2014, when it was called the Capital One Bowl), Buffalo Wild Wings (2015–2017), Overton's as presenting sponsor (2018), Vrbo (2019–2022) and Cheez-It (since 2023). The December 1973 game was played at Florida Field in Gainesville, its only edition away from Orlando.
Notable games include:
- 1991: Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21, which completed an 11–0–1 season and earned Tech the UPI national title for 1990.
- 1998: Florida against Penn State before 72,940, still the attendance record.
- 2008: Michigan 41, Florida 35.
- 2023: LSU 63, Purdue 7, the most points and largest margin in the game's history.
Recent results: Tennessee 35, Iowa 0 (January 2024); Illinois 21, South Carolina 17 (December 2024); and Texas 41, Michigan 27 (December 2025). Crowds since 2018 have run from about 43,000 to about 60,000, apart from 13,039 at the pandemic-limited 2021 game.
Getting there and game-day tips
- Address: One Citrus Bowl Place, Orlando, FL 32805, in the West Lakes neighborhood near downtown.
- Transit and shuttles: local bus routes serve the area, and the stadium publishes shuttle and parking information for each event. Check the stadium's directions page for the game you are attending.
- Bag rules and entry: policies are set by the stadium and can change during the renovation. Check the venue's current A–Z guide before you go.
- Heat: a sunny afternoon in Central Florida can be warm even at New Year's. Hydrate and plan for sun on the east side.
Every order includes free shipping and no digital transfer fees. For schedules and official game information, see the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and Camping World Stadium.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next Citrus Bowl?
The next Cheez-It Citrus Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, January 2, 2027, at noon Eastern at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, broadcast on ABC.
Which conferences play in the Citrus Bowl?
The bowl matches teams from the Big Ten and the SEC that are not selected for the College Football Playoff's major bowls. Tie-ins are renegotiated periodically, so confirm the pairing each season.
Where are the shaded seats at Camping World Stadium?
The west sideline gains shade as the afternoon goes on, while the east sideline stays in the sun until sunset. For an early-afternoon kickoff, plaza sections behind the south goal line, around P18 to P24, are the most reliably shaded.
What was the Citrus Bowl's original name?
It began on January 1, 1947, as the Tangerine Bowl and became the Florida Citrus Bowl in 1983. It was also known as the Capital One Bowl from 2003 through 2014.
Is Camping World Stadium being renovated?
Yes. In January 2024 Orange County approved 400 million dollars in tourist development tax revenue to replace the upper decks and add a north end zone tower and fieldhouse. Seat maps can change during construction, so use the map on your listing.