The College Football National Championship game is returning to Tampa. The game will be played on January 22, 2029, at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USF Bulls.
Rob Higgins, the new USF CEO of Athletics, secured the game in his previous role as head of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. Higgins talked about the benefits of hosting events of this magnitude and the impact they have on the community.
“The economic impact and visitor spending that takes place as a result of one of the country’s marquee events is tremendous. Then, you also have the social impact through the Extra Yard for Teachers (which is a charity program), Playoff Green (an environmental program), and several other initiatives that leave a lasting impact long after January of 2029. And, thirdly, to have the media value of being on this stage that our community deserves to be on with the eyes of the world on us, is truly incredible.”
“All three of those together working hand in hand is absolutely phenomenal for team Tampa Bay.”
Tampa last hosted the championship game in January of 2017 when Clemson defeated Alabama.
Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, had some nice things to say about the city of Tampa.
“The teamwork that this community brings to bear on a big event like this is special. I wasn’t here in 2017, but there are a lot of different entities that are involved in making a big event like this happen, and our team said the people here seem to work together very well and are able to focus on the event at hand.”
“That’s really important when people can come together to really lift the game and event to another status.”
With the 2029 game, Tampa will join two other cities, Miami and New Orleans, as the only cities to have hosted two CFP National Championship games.
Tampa is used to hosting marquee events, as they have played host to the World Series, the Stanley Cup Final, the NCAA men’s Final Four, the women’s Final Four, the Frozen Four, the NHL All-Star Game, and, early next year, the Lightning will play the Boston Bruins in an NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium.