The Football Championship Subdivision championship games for the next two seasons will be played at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium.
The 2025 season championship will be played on Monday Jan. 5, 2026, and the 2026 season championship will be played on Monday, Jan. 4, 2027.
The championship games were scheduled to be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, through the 2026 season but renovations are scheduled to begin after this season’s game.
Officials from the Nashville Sports Council, Vanderbilt and the Ohio Valley Conference made a bid to the NCAA FCS selection committee for the 2025 and 2026 championship games on Nov. 22 and received approval on Thursday.
The games will be broadcast on ESPN.
“This one is really exciting because it’s a national championship first and foremost,” Nashville Sports council president and CEO Scott Ramsey said. “It’s the opportunity to again host a primetime game to a national television audience, but I think more importantly it’s a way to elevate another major event that we’ve landed to continue to build upon all the events we’ve hosted here and show off Nashville.”
Two OVC teams − Tennessee State and UT Martin − earned at-large berths in the FCS playoffs this season. TSU lost to Montana 41-27 in the first round and UT Martin lost to Montana State 49-17 in the second round. “As a storied FCS conference, we are delighted to work with our partners to showcase our city and expose this cherished championship to a different region of the country,” OVC commissioner Beth DeBauche said in a release. “We are committed to ensuring that the student-athletes competing in this premier championship event have an exemplary experience.”
The 2024 FCS championship game will be played on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas marking the 15th time it’s been there. Before that the championship game was played 12 consecutive years at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium (20,668 capacity).
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell also expressed his appreciation to the NCAA for granting the city the championship.
“I’m excited to welcome this championship to a great sports city,” O’Connell said. “The new FirstBank Stadium will be a first-class venue, and I look forward to fans enjoying all Music City has to offer.”
Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium has been undergoing renovations and will seat approximately 35,000. After 13 consecutive sellouts the NCAA wanted to increase the capacity for the championship game to at least 30,000.
“We’re thrilled to host the FCS Championship Game at FirstBank Stadium in 2026 and 2027,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey said. “No city is a better host for sports and entertainment than Nashville, and we’re excited to work with the Nashville Sports Council, the OVC, and other partners across the city to deliver an unforgettable experience in an electric, fan-friendly, and welcoming environment.”
Ramsey said the competing teams will stay at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, the same as the teams that participate in the Transperfect Music City Bowl.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
