Duke's Mayo Bowl Tickets, Date and Seating Guide

By the Good Seats editorial teamUpdated October 1, 2026How we research

Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC — Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Upcoming Duke's Mayo 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 Duke's Mayo Bowl is and who plays

The Duke's Mayo Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The 2026 game is set for Saturday, December 26, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC, and it matches a team from the ACC against a team from the Big Ten.

The pairing follows a rotation built into the bowl's conference tie-ins (contracts that reserve a bowl slot for a conference's teams). Since 2020 the ACC has supplied one team every year, with the opponent coming from the Big Ten in even-numbered years and the SEC in odd-numbered years. The 2026 season is an even year, so the Big Ten fills the second slot. Tie-in rules can change, so confirm the matchup once teams are announced in early December.

The game is run by the Charlotte Sports Foundation, a nonprofit that has operated it since 2010. The title sponsorship by Duke's Mayonnaise produced the bowl's best-known tradition: the mayo bath.

Bank of America Stadium: sun, shade and the right seats

Bank of America Stadium opened in 1996 at 800 South Mint Street, a short walk from the uptown office towers. It seats about 75,000 for football in three main tiers: the 100 level (the lower bowl closest to the field), the 300 level (the middle tier, which includes club seating) and the 500 level (the upper deck). Recent Duke's Mayo Bowl crowds have run between roughly 29,000 and 46,000, so the building rarely fills.

Why the kickoff time shapes your choice

A 3:30 p.m. start in late December puts the low afternoon sun in the southwest for the first half. Seating guides consistently report that the east side of the stadium, including the upper sections 515–530, gets the most direct sun. Sun on the east side means fans there face into the glare until it sets, roughly around halftime. The west side sits with its back to the sun and in shade for most of the game.

Cold day: the east side is the warmer pick for the first half. Bring sunglasses.
Clear or mild day: the west sideline gives a glare-free view of the whole game.
Lower level: the 100 level runs only about 19 rows and has no overhead cover. Rows 10–19 between the 20-yard lines are the sweet spot; the first few rows sit at bench height, where players and staff on the sideline block the near side of the field.
Club and middle tier: 300-level sideline seats are the best balance of height and distance, with indoor club access for the cold stretch after sunset.
Upper deck: the 500 level is steep and about 34 rows deep. Its lower rows on the sideline give a strong full-field view; its top rows are a long way from the play.
End zones: lower-level end zone seats are the lowest-demand option, and some sit beneath or near the large end-zone video boards.

The mayo bath and bowl week

Since 2020, the winning head coach has had a giant bucket of Duke's Mayonnaise dumped over his head, a take on the traditional sports drink shower. The tradition is the bowl's signature moment, and many fans stay through the trophy presentation to see it.

The Charlotte Sports Foundation surrounds the game with fan events. For the January 2026 game, the schedule included a Fan Central evening of marching bands at Truist Plaza the night before, and a game-day FanFest with live music, food and games on Mint and Graham Streets beside the stadium. Expect a similar format in 2026, and check the foundation's site for the final times.

History, results and the naming-sponsor trail

The bowl began on December 28, 2002, as the Continental Tire Bowl, with Virginia beating West Virginia 48–22 before 73,535 fans. The foundation describes that game as believed to be the fastest sellout of a first-year bowl in history. The attendance record of 73,712 came in 2008.

Names over the years

Continental Tire Bowl (2002–2004)
Meineke Car Care Bowl (2005–2010)
Belk Bowl (2011–2019)
Duke's Mayo Bowl (2020 to present)

The early games paired the ACC with the Big East. From 2014 through 2019 the ACC met the SEC, and the current ACC rotation with the Big Ten and SEC began in 2020.

Demand patterns and when to buy

Demand turns on the ACC team. A school within driving distance of Charlotte, such as North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech or Clemson, brings a large crowd, and the 2021 game with North Carolina and South Carolina drew more than 45,000. A matchup of two distant schools draws far fewer, as the January 2026 crowd of about 29,000 showed.

Selection weekend in early December is when listings reprice, as fans learn whether their team is headed to Charlotte.
Lower-level sideline seats on the west side are the first to tighten, because they combine shade with proximity.
The day after Christmas means many visiting fans are already traveling for the holidays, which can help or hurt turnout depending on where the teams are from.

GoodSeats orders include free shipping, though most bowl tickets are delivered as mobile tickets.

Getting to uptown Charlotte and stadium rules

Bank of America Stadium is one of the easier bowl venues to reach without a car. The LYNX Blue Line light rail stops at Brooklyn Village station (formerly Stonewall) a short walk from the stadium, and Charlotte Area Transit System buses and the CityLYNX streetcar also serve uptown. For drivers, the foundation reports more than 30,000 parking spaces within five blocks, with advance reservations through SpotHero. As of the January 2026 game, accessible parking was first come, first served in Lot 1, the Mint Street facility.

Entrances: the North Gate on Graham Street, the East Gate on Mint Street and the South Gate on Morehead Street.
Tickets: as of the January 2026 game, entry was mobile-only through the Charlotte Sports Foundation app, and PDF tickets were not accepted. Accept any transferred tickets before you arrive.
Tailgating: permitted in surface lots with rules on open flames, and not allowed in parking decks.

Bag policy and renovation note

As of the January 2026 game, the bowl enforced a clear-bag policy (clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear freezer bag, plus a small clutch about 4.5 by 6.5 inches). Umbrellas, coolers and outside alcohol were prohibited. The stadium is also entering a multiyear renovation scheduled to run through 2030, with fan-facing work beginning in 2027. Check the foundation's game-day page for current policies before you go.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Duke's Mayo Bowl?

The game is scheduled for Saturday, December 26, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with coverage on ABC.

Which conferences play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl?

An ACC team plays every year. The opponent comes from the Big Ten in even-numbered years and the SEC in odd-numbered years, so the 2026 game is set as ACC vs. Big Ten.

What is the Duke's Mayo Bowl mayo bath?

Since 2020, the winning head coach has a large bucket of Duke's Mayonnaise poured over his head after the game, a twist on the usual sports drink shower.

Which side of Bank of America Stadium is in the shade?

For a late-afternoon December kickoff, the west side sits with its back to the sun and stays shaded. The east side, including upper sections 515 to 530, takes the most sun until sunset.

How do you get to the Duke's Mayo Bowl without driving?

Take the LYNX Blue Line light rail to Brooklyn Village station, a short walk from the stadium. CATS buses and the CityLYNX streetcar also serve uptown Charlotte.

What was the Duke's Mayo Bowl called before?

It began as the Continental Tire Bowl in 2002, then became the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2005 and the Belk Bowl in 2011 before taking the Duke's Mayo name in 2020.

Duke's Mayo Bowl Tickets