The Cactus Bowl is packing up its downtown digs and heading back to Tempe, with organizers confirming the postseason college football game will return to Arizona State University’s Mountain America Stadium on Dec. 26, 2026. After several seasons at Phoenix’s Chase Field, the bowl is trading a baseball backdrop for a true football venue, a shift that is expected to bring a very different game day vibe for visiting fans and the local crowd.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the move was reported June 3 and the 2026 edition is already locked in to air on ABC. The outlet notes that its story is the first local report on the venue switch and includes photos tied to the announcement.
Why the move?
Organizers are pointing to major work planned at Chase Field as a central reason for the change of scenery. Industry reporting, including Ballpark Digest, outlines state and team plans for a multi hundred million dollar renovation package that complicates scheduling at the downtown ballpark and makes a Tempe return more practical for that late December date.
Back at a football venue
This is hardly the first time the Cactus Bowl has packed a moving truck. The game spent years at Sun Devil Stadium, the site now known as Mountain America Stadium, before shifting into Chase Field in the 2010s. ESPN chronicled that earlier relocation, while ASU’s own reporting details the naming rights deal that rebranded the venue as Mountain America Stadium.
ASU materials also highlight the stadium’s game day amenities and its primary role as the home field for the Sun Devils, a setup that bowl organizers will now plug into for the 2026 matchup.
What fans should know
The Phoenix Business Journal notes that broadcast plans are already in place for ABC, although organizers have not released full ticketing or seating details for the Tempe site. The outlet reports the Dec. 26, 2026 date and network assignment, adding that finer logistics will be announced as the matchup and stadium plans are nailed down.
The move puts the bowl back on a campus stage and is likely to shake up the game day rhythm for traveling fans, Tempe businesses and holiday visitors who build trips around the event. Expect more details from organizers and ASU as stadium operations and broadcast logistics are finalized.
