Come for hard-hitting NCAA football games and stay for everything else Orlando has to offer.
Updated Dec. 8, 2025
Already the Theme Park Capital of the World, Orlando has emerged as a go-to college football destination with a full season of NCAA bowl games and other key matchups. Check out this year’s lineup, which also included the Florida Blue Florida Classic and University of Central Florida (UCF) Big 12 home games:
StaffDNA Cure Bowl (Dec. 17, 2025): University of South Florida vs. Old Dominion
Get our guide to the action — and tips for experiencing Orlando like a champion — ahead of this year’s can’t-miss NCAA football season.
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Vacation Like a Champion
Camping World Stadium (Courtesy Florida Citrus Sports)
Championship Adventures
Orlando is the sort of town where anything is possible. Come for the gridiron matchups and take the fun into overtime with endless adventures that start with fresh reasons to visit and continue with other winning ways to play, including:
Orlando’s hotels and resorts are champions when it comes to amazing pools — and most boast heated water in case the weather’s chilly during your stay. You’ll find plenty of extras, too, such as lazy rivers, waterslides, underwater sound systems and sandy beaches. Some even have their own onsite water parks, not to mention award-winning dining, gorgeous golf courses, spas and more.
There’s no better way to celebrate a big win (or dull the pain of a loss) than feasting like a champ, which you can do in style at thousands of restaurants throughout the area. With so many choices, you’re sure to find the perfect meal — especially when you factor in MICHELIN Guide dining, celebrity chefs and homegrown culinary heroes, and ample local freshness.
Clark Orr’s ‘Unbelievably Real’ Mural in Downtown Orlando
More Ways to Win
Whatever you like to do on vacation, you’ll find it in Orlando — so no matter who you’re rooting for in this year’s bowl games, you’re going to win. See which matchups are coming, make your plans and secure your tickets today.
Orlando’s NCAA football matchups give you the chance to see top college players at Camping World Stadium in downtown Orlando’s West Lakes Market Street District, as well as UCF’s Acrisure Bounce House stadium east of downtown. The latter also hosted a full season of UCF Knights Big 12 football.
The 2026 StaffDNA Cure Bowl will feature University of South Florida (9-3, 6-2 American) going up against Old Dominion University (9-3, 6-2 Sun Belt) at Camping World Stadium. This game is focused on raising funds for cancer research — $6.35 million since 2015 — putting Orlando at the center of some of the world’s greatest advancements in that field. Much of that money has stayed local, too, with more than $3.68 million going to Dr. Annette Khaled, professor at the UCF College of Medicine’s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and head of the medical school’s cancer research division. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Pop-Tarts® Bowl at Camping World Stadium (Courtesy Florida Citrus Sports)
Pop-Tarts® Bowl (Dec. 27, 2025)
Now in its 35th year, the Pop-Tarts® Bowl will feature No. 22 Georgia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC) vs. No. 12 BYU (11-2, 8-1 Big 12). It’s part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and will be televised on ABC, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Cheez-It® Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium (Courtesy Florida Citrus Sports)
Cheez-It® Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31, 2025)
No. 18 Michigan (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) and No. 13 Texas (9-3, 6-2 SEC) will take the field for the Cheez-It® Citrus Bowl. Airing on ABC starting at 3 p.m. ET, this is the seventh-oldest collegiate bowl game in the country, having started in 1947 as the Tangerine Bowl. It is also part of the NCAA Division 1 FBS football season.
Acrisure Bounce House Stadium at University of Central Florida (Courtesy Greater Orlando Sports Commission)
Hula Bowl (Jan. 10, 2026)
The Hula Bowl returns to Orlando’s UCF FBC Mortgage Stadium, home of one of Florida’s most exciting college football teams: the UCF Knights. Player invitations for this NCAA all-star game, which will be televised on CBS, are determined by the Hula Bowl Selection Committee based on the athletes’ potential to make a professional football team roster. In other words, expect an action-packed preview of future NFL stars.
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Nate Shelton is a native Floridian and longtime Orlandoan who enjoys everything that makes life worth living. (Especially his wife and their cats.) He’s a content senior manager at Visit Orlando.
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