Road to the Championship

National Participation
There are 129 NCAA member institutions that sponsor Division I Football Championship Subdivision teams, but only 123 are eligible to compete in the National Championship. The 129 programs support approximately 13,000 Football student-athletes across the country.

 Selection Process
The NCAA Division I Football Championship provides for a field of 24 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 24 teams, 10 conference champions will receive automatic qualifications with the remaining best 14 teams being selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Football Championship Committee. The top eight teams in the 24-team bracket for the championship are seeded and receive First Round byes. Team pairings are determined according to geographical proximity. Teams from the same conference will not be paired for First Round games or for Second Round games when both teams are playing their first games of the championship (except for teams from the same conference that did not play against each other during the regular season; such teams may play each other in the first and second round).

Selection Show | November 23, 2025
The NCAA Division I Football Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, November 23.

First Round | November 29, 2025
Eight, first round games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the second round.

Second Round | December 6, 2025
The second round also features eight games at non-predetermined campus Sites. The winning team from each game will advance to the quarterfinals.

 Quarterfinals | December 12-13, 2025
Four quarterfinals games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each of the four quarterfinals will advance to the semifinals. 

 Semifinals | December 20, 2025
Two games will be conducted at non-predetermined campus sites. The winning team from each semifinal will advance to the championship final site in Nashville, Tennessee.

 National Championship | January 5, 2026
The 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game will be held at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee Monday, January 5.