SCOTTSDALE, AZ (May 31, 2023) – The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will host a College Football Playoff New Year's Six postseason matchup on Monday, January 1, 2024, at 11 a.m. MST, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 53rd annual game in Fiesta Bowl history will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN through its linear television and digital platforms.
The New Year's Day contest is the first of a three-year cycle that will have the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl hosting a CFP Playoff game annually in the expanded 12-team CFP Playoff architecture. Following this year's game, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will host the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal game on December 31, 2024, and a CFP Semifinal on January 8, 2026, to close out the 2025-26 season.
"New Year's Day is synonymous with the best in college football, so we are excited to welcome fans back to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl to bring in the New Year once again," said Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO Erik Moses. "We are in an exciting time for college football, with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl hosting this season's game on New Year's Day and ushering in the College Football Playoff expansion with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl staging the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal in 2024-25 followed by a CFP Semifinal in the 2025-26 season. Now is the time to jump on board as we continue our storied tradition of exciting games with the best of college football right here in Arizona."
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is a must-see postseason game, with some of college football's most memorable moments occurring in the Valley of the Sun. The final margin has been an edge-of-your-seat one-score margin in five of the last six seasons. The most-recent Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, a College Football Playoff Semifinal on December 31, 2022, was a high-scoring 51-45 upset by TCU over Michigan to send the Horned Frogs to the 2023 CFP National Championship Game. The game featured 44 combined points in the third quarter alone, with touchdowns on six-straight possessions between the two teams culminating in a Vrbo Fiesta Bowl record of 96 combined points scored in a single game.
"We look forward to another year of helping fans cheer on their favorite team at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in the Phoenix metro area, which is one of Vrbo's most popular urban destinations for private vacation rentals," said President of Expedia Brands Jon Gieselman. "Spending time together in a Vrbo private home surrounded by your close friends and family always creates enduring memories. Doing it at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl...come on, how great."
Vrbo, part of Expedia Group, was announced as the Fiesta Bowl's new title partner in July 2022. In addition to the exclusive naming rights, Vrbo (pronounced 'ver-boh') also became the official travel sponsor of the College Football Playoff. With the Fiesta Bowl, Vrbo enjoys a fully-integrated partnership that incorporates fan activations in addition to digital and social media, content, in-stadium exposure and inclusion at other year-round Fiesta Bowl organization events such as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade.
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is now accepting fan deposits for this season's game tickets by visiting www.VrboFiestaBowl.com or calling (480) 350-0911. Fiesta Legacy Members receive exclusive benefits, including priority seat locations, preferred parking access, specific stadium entry, first access to purchase additional tickets before the general public and more.
Fast Facts about the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl:
- New Year's Day 2024 will be the 53rd annual game in Bowl history
- The calendar year will start and finish at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, with this season's game on January 1 and then a CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31, 2024
- The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will be host to the first-ever CFP Quarterfinal in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in the 2024-25 season
- The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl's final margin has been a one-score game in five of the last six seasons
- The 2003 and 2007 Fiesta Bowl games are regularly considered among the top five games in college football history
- The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven national championship games
- Ohio State has the most appearances in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl history, with nine games played
- Penn State owns a perfect 7-0 record in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl history, the most wins by any school
- Arizona State played in the first three Fiesta Bowl games, and four of the first five games. Overall, the Sun Devils have a 5-1 record in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
- 13 Heisman Trophy winners have played in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
- Some of college football's most talked-about moments came in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl:
- 2022 Fiesta Bowl with a Bowl-record 96 total points, including 44 combined points in the third quarter, as TCU upset Michigan to advance to CFP National Championship
- 2019 Fiesta Bowl when Clemson came back to beat Ohio State in what was ranked the best game of 2019 by ESPN
- 2007 Fiesta Bowl where Boise State upset Oklahoma in dramatic fashion
- 2005 Fiesta Bowl had Utah become the first non-power conference team to beat a power conference with its win over Pittsburgh
- 2003 Fiesta Bowl national championship between Ohio State and Miami that went to overtime in a hotly-contested game
- 1996 Fiesta Bowl in which Tommie Frazier created a highlight with a 75-yard touchdown run that many still talk about today
- 1989 Fiesta Bowl as Notre Dame completed a perfect season and secured its most recent national championship
- 1987 Fiesta Bowl was dubbed the "Game of the Century" and "Battle for Number 1" between Penn State and Miami in the first created national championship
ABOUT THE FIESTA BOWL ORGANIZATION
Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl is a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision for the importance of community outreach and service. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl and its year-round events, such as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the organization provides charitable giving to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through youth, sports and education.
ABOUT Vrbo
In 1995, Vrbo introduced a new way for people to travel together, pairing homeowners with families and friends looking for places to stay. We were grounded in one purpose: To give people the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together. Since then, we've grown into a global community of homeowners and travelers, with unique properties around the world. Vrbo makes it easy and fun to book cabins, condos, beach houses and every kind of space in between. Vrbo is part of Expedia Group and offers homeowners and property managers exposure to over 750 million visits to Expedia Group sites each month. To learn more, visit www.vrbo.com.
