The College Football Playoffs will officially expand to 12 teams beginning in the 2024-2025 season.
After voting unanimously to expand the playoff field from four teams to 12 by 2026 in September, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers worked to have the new playoff model implemented even sooner.
“We’re delighted to be moving forward,” Executive Director of the College Football Playoff Bill Hancock said. “When the board expanded the playoff beginning in 2026 and asked the CFP Management Committee to examine the feasibility of starting the new format earlier, the Management Committee went right to work. More teams and more access mean more excitement for fans, alumni, students, and student-athletes. We appreciate the leaders of the six bowl games and the two future national championship game host cities for their cooperation. Everyone realized that this change is in the best interest of college football and pulled together to make it happen.”
The first round of the playoff in 2024 will take place the week ending Saturday, December 21, at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or at another site designated by the higher-seeded institution. Dates for the games have yet to be announced.
For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the four quarterfinal games and two playoff semifinal games will be played in bowls on a rotating basis. The 2024 quarterfinals will take place in the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl, while the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl will host the playoff semifinals.
The 2025 quarterfinals will take place in the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl will host the playoff semifinals. Specific dates for all quarterfinal and semifinal games will be announced at a later time.
The national championship games will be played January 20, 2025, in Atlanta, Ga., and January 19, 2026, in Miami, Fla.
𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧: The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams beginning in the 2024-25 season!
Details » https://t.co/O4ZiAOQ4HZ#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/5ZTVGXTZbo
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 1, 2022
