Liberty Bowl Tickets

What the AutoZone Liberty Bowl is

The Liberty Bowl is a college football bowl game played each year around the turn of the new year at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. Its conference partners are the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big 12. The next game, the 68th, is scheduled for Saturday, January 2, 2027, with a 6:30 p.m. Central kickoff. AutoZone, the auto parts retailer headquartered in Memphis, has been the title sponsor since 2004, so the official name is the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The bowl calls itself the seventh-oldest college bowl game, and its alumni include four Heisman Trophy winners and coaches such as Bear Bryant and Lou Holtz. Tie-ins are renegotiated periodically. Wikipedia describes the current arrangement as a Big 12 selection against an SEC pool pick, with the American as an alternate, and the January 2026 game featured two teams from outside that pairing, Navy and Cincinnati. Wait for the selection announcement in early December before assuming a matchup.

Dates and kickoff times

The Liberty Bowl does not have a fixed date. Recent games were played on December 31 (2019 and 2020), December 28 (2021 and 2022), December 29 (2023), December 27 (2024) and January 2 (2026). The 2027 game is again set for January 2, a Saturday, at night.

That night kickoff matters for seat choice. With the sun down, there is no sun side or shade side to pay extra for. The trade-off is cold: Memphis in early January can be raw after dark, and the upper rows catch the most wind. Dress in layers, and if you are bringing children, seats near a concourse exit make warm-up breaks easier.

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and where to sit

The stadium opened in 1965 as Memphis Memorial Stadium and was renamed Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in December 1975 in recognition of the bowl. Simmons Bank acquired the naming rights in 2021. It is the home field of the Memphis Tigers and hosts the annual Southern Heritage Classic. Its steep stands keep sightlines tight to the field, which is why mid-level seats here work better than their distance on a map would suggest.

A stadium in transition

The west side has been demolished and rebuilt in a multi-phase renovation that began after the 2023 season. The University of Memphis described new Founders' Suites and Founders' Loge Boxes, additional private suites and a party plaza open to all fans, with completion anticipated before the 2026 season. Capacity dropped to the low 30,000s during construction. Wikipedia lists the stadium at 45,632 as of 2026, while the university projected about 50,000 when the work is done. Expect those numbers to settle as the final phase wraps up.

Choosing a section

• West sideline: the rebuilt side, with the newest seats and premium options. Sideline seats here between the 30-yard lines will carry the highest demand.
• East sideline: the side with the older suite tower. Lower and middle rows still offer a full-field view and are often the better value.
• End zones: the least expensive seats, and the usual home of each school's band and student groups. Fine for atmosphere, harder for following the line of scrimmage.

Fan bases tend to cluster behind their team's bench. If sitting with your own fans matters, confirm sideline assignments once the matchup is set.

Bowl week: Beale Street, the parade and St. Jude

The Liberty Bowl builds a full week around the game. For the January 2027 game, the bowl's published schedule includes:

• A pro rodeo at the Agricenter Show Place Arena on December 30.
• An FCA breakfast at the Hilton Memphis on December 31.
• The Beale Street Parade on New Year's Day at 2 p.m., followed by the Bash on Beale pep rally at 3:30 p.m.
• The President's Gala at The Peabody hotel on the evening of January 1.
• The Gold Star Families March and a pregame buffet and party at Liberty Park, next to the stadium, on game day.

Each year the players and coaches from both teams visit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the bowl week traditions the organizers highlight most. Times and venues can change, so check the bowl's official schedule before you plan around an event.

Getting there, Tiger Lane and tailgating

The stadium sits in Midtown Memphis on the grounds of the former Mid-South Fairgrounds, a short drive from downtown and Beale Street. The area is being redeveloped as Liberty Park, a district planned around youth sports, dining, retail and hotels.

• Tiger Lane is a 17-acre green space in front of the stadium used for tailgating and events. It is the main gathering spot before kickoff.
• Parking can be purchased in advance through the bowl's website. Lots and prices for bowl games can differ from Memphis Tigers home games.
• Rideshare is the simplest option for fans staying downtown, but expect a wait after a night game. Agree on a pickup point away from the main gates.

Bag and entry rules are set by the stadium operator and can change, especially as renovation phases open new gates. Check the bowl and stadium guidance closer to the game. GoodSeats orders come with guaranteed entry, so the ticket itself is not the part to worry about.

From Philadelphia to Memphis: the bowl's history

A.F. "Bud" Dudley, a former athletic director at Villanova, founded the bowl in Philadelphia in 1959. The first game, at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, saw Penn State beat Alabama 7 to 0 in front of 36,211 fans. Attendance was a constant problem, and after five games in Philadelphia the bowl moved.

The 1964 game was played indoors at Atlantic City's Convention Hall, the first major college bowl played under a roof. Utah beat West Virginia 32 to 6 on a grass field laid over burlap on the concrete floor, with 6,059 in attendance. The next year the game moved to Memphis, where it has stayed ever since.

Memorable games

• 1982: Alabama beat Illinois 21 to 15 on December 29, 1982, in Bear Bryant's final game. He died one month later.
• 2007: Mississippi State and UCF drew 63,816, the largest crowd in bowl history.
• 2022: Arkansas beat Kansas 55 to 53 in triple overtime, the highest-scoring Liberty Bowl, as Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for a bowl-record 544 yards.
• January 2026: Navy beat Cincinnati 35 to 13.

Tie-in eras

From 1989 through 1992 the bowl invited the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (the series among Army, Navy and Air Force), and Air Force played in all four of those games. The Conference USA champion held a tie-in from 1996 through 2013, before the current SEC and Big 12 pairing took shape. Arkansas has made the most appearances, with seven.

Tips for out-of-town fans

• Stay downtown for the bowl week events. The parade, pep rally and gala are all downtown, and the stadium is a short ride away on game day.
• Watch the matchup announcement. A nearby SEC school such as Arkansas, Mississippi State or Ole Miss can push demand sharply, while a long-distance pairing leaves more seats on the market.
• Pack for a cold night. A January kickoff after dark is the norm, and the stadium is open to the weather.
• Leave time for Memphis. Beale Street, The Peabody and the city's barbecue are part of why fan bases travel to this game.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Liberty Bowl
• Wikipedia – 2026 Liberty Bowl
• Wikipedia – 1982 Liberty Bowl
• Wikipedia – Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl – Official site
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl – About the game
• Memphis Athletics – Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation details
• Local Memphis – Liberty Stadium renovation and Liberty Park