2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
| 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| FCS National Championship Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 5, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | FirstBank Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Justin Lamson (QB, Montana State) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Montana State by 10.5 points | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | James Brookhart | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 24,105 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN, ESPN+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dave Flemming (play by play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Canada: TSN2/TSN+ | |||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 5, 2026, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The game determined the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) for the 2025 season. It featured the two finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 29, 2025. The Monday night game began at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST and was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
The game featured Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Montana State of the Big Sky Conference; for the first time ever, the FCS Championship Game ended in overtime, with Montana State defeating Illinois State, 35–34.