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    New Orleans Bowl Tickets

    Dec. 23, 2026 · 1 p.m. CT · Caesars Superdome, New Orleans

    A pre-Christmas bowl under the Superdome roof that pairs the Sun Belt and Conference USA, with weatherproof seats and plenty of choice in the lower bowl.

    By the Good Seats editorial teamUpdated How we research
    Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA
    Photo: DHSgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Upcoming New Orleans 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 New Orleans Bowl is and when it is played

    The New Orleans Bowl is a December college football bowl played inside the Caesars Superdome. The 26th annual game is scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central on ESPN, the latest calendar date in the bowl's history and the second straight year it falls two days before Christmas.

    The 2026 game matches a team from the Sun Belt Conference against a team from Conference USA. The Sun Belt has been the anchor since the first game in 2001, and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation organizes the bowl with the conference. Other leagues have filled the opposite slot over the years, including the Mountain West in 2001, 2011 and 2014 and the MAC in 2010. Tie-ins (the agreements that assign conference teams to a bowl) are reset every few years, so treat the pairing as current rather than permanent. Teams are named after the conference championship weekend in early December.

    Inside the Superdome: layout and where to sit

    The Superdome opened in 1975 and seats about 73,200 for football, expandable past 76,000. It is the largest fixed domed structure in the world, so the New Orleans Bowl is one of the few December bowls where weather is irrelevant to your seat choice. Recent crowds have run between roughly 13,000 and 17,000, far below capacity, which shapes everything about buying.

    Seating is arranged in tiers: the plaza level (the 100-level sections closest to the field), the loge level above it, and the terrace levels (the high upper deck, with lower terrace sections numbered in the 500s). Renovations from 2006 to 2011 replaced the old movable field-level stands with a permanent deck that pulled the lower bowl closer to the field, and the 2019–2024 project added field-level end zone boxes and wider concourses.

    Seat judgment for this game

    • Plaza sideline seats between the 20-yard lines are the clear first choice. With a crowd this size, fans tend to cluster in the lower bowl, and that is where the atmosphere is.
    • Higher plaza rows (roughly the middle of the 100 level and up) see over the bench area and still feel close.
    • Terrace seats are the wrong buy here. They sit far above a mostly empty upper bowl, and the energy of a small crowd stays down on the plaza level.
    • Low end zone rows are fine for a fan who wants to be near one team's band or student section, less so for following the whole game.

    Buying tickets: what moves demand

    Because the building is so much larger than the typical crowd, good seats rarely run short. Demand rises when one team is from Louisiana or within a short drive: the bowl's record crowd, 54,728, came in 2013 for Louisiana-Lafayette against Tulane, two in-state schools. A matchup of two distant programs tends to keep the resale market soft, and prices often ease as kickoff nears.

    The pre-Christmas date matters too. Fans of the participating schools often build a short New Orleans trip around the game, and hotels in the Central Business District fill with holiday travelers, so plan lodging early even if you wait on tickets. Every GoodSeats order includes guaranteed entry.

    Bowl week in New Orleans

    The bowl's announced 2026 events include Yoga in the Dome, a New Orleans Bowl STEM Fest and a Fellowship of Christian Athletes gathering, with details released closer to December. For most visiting fans, the real bowl week is the city itself: the French Quarter is a short streetcar or cab ride from the Superdome, which makes a game-plus-city trip easy to plan.

    History, results and sponsor names

    The first New Orleans Bowl, in 2001, ended Colorado State 45, North Texas 20. The game has been televised on ESPN or ESPN2 every year. In 2005, with the Superdome damaged by Hurricane Katrina, it moved to Cajun Field in Lafayette before returning downtown.

    • Most wins: Southern Miss, with four in six appearances; Troy has won three of four.
    • Highest-scoring game: Troy 50, North Texas 30 in 2017.
    • Overtime finishes: Troy over Southern Miss 30–27 in 2008 and Jacksonville State over Louisiana 34–31 in 2023.
    • Recent winners: Western Kentucky (2022), Jacksonville State (2023), Sam Houston (2024) and Western Kentucky again in 2025, a 27–16 win over Southern Miss.

    The title sponsor has changed over time. The game had no title sponsor from 2001 to 2003, carried the Wyndham name in 2004 and was the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl from 2006 through 2024. As of the 2025 game it had no announced title sponsor. The stadium name has also changed, from Louisiana Superdome (1975–2011) to Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2011–2021) to Caesars Superdome (2021 onward), so older bowl coverage may use any of the three.

    Getting there, bags and entry

    • Streetcar: the Loyola Avenue streetcar runs from Union Passenger Terminal, beside the Superdome, with stops at Julia, Poydras and Canal streets, where it connects to the Canal line toward the French Quarter.
    • Driving: several garages around the Superdome complex serve events and have been card-only; reserving ahead is easier than circling the Central Business District.
    • Rideshare: the Superdome designates a drop-off and pick-up zone on Poydras Street between Clara Street and Loyola Avenue.
    • Bags: the bowl's venue page lists a clear-bag policy (one transparent bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches or a one-gallon freezer bag, plus a small clutch about 4.5 by 6.5 inches). The Superdome does not offer bag check, and medical bags are searched and tagged.

    The Superdome notes that bag rules for non-NFL events can differ by event, so confirm the current policy on the New Orleans Bowl site before you go.

    Frequently asked questions

    When is the 2026 New Orleans Bowl?

    It is scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central at the Caesars Superdome, televised on ESPN.

    Which conferences play in the New Orleans Bowl?

    The 2026 game pairs the Sun Belt Conference with Conference USA. Tie-ins change in multi-year cycles, and the Mountain West and MAC have also played in the game.

    Is the New Orleans Bowl indoors?

    Yes. The game is played inside the Caesars Superdome, a fixed-roof dome, so rain and cold are not a factor.

    Where should I sit at the New Orleans Bowl?

    Lower-level plaza seats on the sideline are the best choice. Crowds are usually well below the Superdome's capacity, so the lower bowl is where the fans and the noise are, and upper terrace seats feel remote.

    What was the largest New Orleans Bowl crowd?

    The record is 54,728, set in 2013 for Louisiana-Lafayette against Tulane.

    Was the New Orleans Bowl ever played outside New Orleans?

    Once. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina damaged the Superdome, the game was played at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana.

    Sources