2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
| 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 12th College Football Playoff National Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 19, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Players of the Game | Fernando Mendoza (Indiana, QB) Mikail Kamara (Indiana, DE) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Indiana by 8.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Jamal Roberts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Michael VanderVelde (Big 12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 67,227 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath (sidelines) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 30.1 million viewers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes Brazil: ESPN Brazil/Disney+ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | ESPN Deportes: Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Pablo Viruega (analyst), Katia Castorena and Ciro Procuna (sidelines) ESPN Brazil: Fernando Nardini (play-by-play), Weinny Eirado (analyst), Deivis Chiodini (analyst), and Giane Pessoa (rules analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship (officially known as the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game played on January 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. It was the 12th College Football Playoff National Championship and determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2025 season. It was the final game of the 2025–26 College Football Playoff (CFP) and the culminating game of the 2025–26 bowl season. The game began at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST and was televised nationally by ESPN.
The game featured the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers of the Big Ten Conference and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was the teams' third meeting and their first since 1966. Miami entered seeking their sixth national championship, and Indiana seeking its first. The Hoosiers entered as Big Ten champions with a 15–0 record, while Miami entered with a 13–2 record.
Indiana placekicker Nico Radicic opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Three drives ending with a punt preceded it, and three more followed before Indiana scored on a touchdown rush by Riley Nowakowski to cap a 14-play drive with six minutes until halftime. Miami reached the Indiana 32-yard line with 33 seconds remaining but missed a 50-yard field goal and Indiana took a 10–0 lead to half. On Miami's second play of the second half, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for a 57-yard touchdown to bring Miami within three points. Both teams punted twice afterwards, but Miami's second punt was blocked by Mikail Kamara and recovered in the end zone for an Indiana touchdown by Isaiah Jones. The teams traded scoring drives for much of the remainder of the game: Miami scored on a Fletcher rush and a pass from Carson Beck to Malachi Toney, and Indiana scored on a rush by quarterback Fernando Mendoza and a field goal by Radicic. Trailing by six points with 44 seconds remaining, Carson Beck's pass was intercepted by Indiana defensive back Jamari Sharpe, sealing a 27–21 win for Indiana, winning the Hoosiers their first football national championship in school history. This was the third straight national championship won by the Big Ten Conference.