Upcoming Alabama Crimson Tide Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Choosing a Bryant-Denny seat for a Tide game
For Alabama Crimson Tide football, aim for the lower sideline between the 30-yard lines, about halfway up the lower bowl. That height lets you read formations across the field, while row 1 sits behind benches and sideline staff. For an early-season afternoon kickoff, choose the west side, where the sun stays behind you. End zones are the usual value buy; the upper decks trade distance for a full-formation view.
- Top choice: lower sideline, middle rows, between the 30s.
- Heat strategy: west side for September day games.
- Value: end zones, in a higher row.
- Whole-field view: the steep upper decks.
The Tide's home field is Saban Field at Bryant–Denny Stadium, in the middle of the Tuscaloosa campus, and nearly every home date falls between early September and late November.
Two tall sidelines, two enclosed end zones
The stadium opened on September 28, 1929, and grew in stages into a fully enclosed bowl on a north-south axis. The west upper deck arrived in 1988 and the east upper deck in 1998; the north end zone was enclosed in 2006 and the south end zone in 2010. The result is two towering sideline grandstands with end-zone stands that rise almost as high. A 2020 change for premium and accessible seating set the capacity at 100,077.
Lower sideline
The most requested seats in the building. Skip the very front: from row 1, players on the bench, coaches and team staff stand between you and the field. Halfway up, you see over all of them.
End zones
Good for red-zone action at your end, weak for judging long plays at the other end from near field level. Go higher in the section for a better read of the whole field.
Upper decks
You give up closeness and gain a coach's-eye look at every formation. The decks rise sharply, so think about the stairs and leave extra time.
September heat and the west-side advantage
Early-season games in Tuscaloosa can be brutally warm, and by November the problem mostly disappears. With the field running north to south, west-side seats face east and keep the afternoon sun behind you, and the east stands stare straight at it. This rule comes from the stadium's orientation, not from a published shade chart, but for a day game it holds up.
Premium seating is concentrated on that same west side, home to the Founders Suites, the Champions Club and the Terrace Club. If indoor access or hospitality is part of the plan, that is where to look.
Where students and visitors sit
The student body has its own seating. The athletics department says students come in at Gates 39 and 40, which open to them two hours ahead of kickoff. Exact student section numbers are not confirmed here.
Visitors who get tickets from their own athletic department typically land together in that school's allotment. Buy on the resale market instead and you can sit almost anywhere, though you should expect a sea of crimson around you.
Iron Bowl years and the other big dates
In Alabama, the Auburn game is the one that matters most. First played in 1893, the Iron Bowl was a Legion Field fixture in Birmingham for many years. Since 2000, Alabama's home edition has been played on campus, so the game now rotates between Bryant–Denny and Auburn's Jordan–Hare Stadium. Expect it on Thanksgiving weekend, and expect it to be the toughest ticket of any Tuscaloosa season it lands in.
- Tennessee: known as the Third Saturday in October, played since 1901, and the rivalry Bear Bryant valued above the rest.
- LSU: an annual SEC meeting that intensified after Nick Saban moved from LSU to Alabama, including the 2011 No. 1 vs. No. 2 game and the BCS title rematch.
- Georgia: a frequent opponent with a lot on the line, including league title games.
- Mississippi State: Alabama has played no one more often; some call it the Battle for Highway 82.
Who the opponent is matters most, followed by the kickoff slot and what is riding on the game. A ranked conference foe under the lights is a different market from a September nonconference matchup. The athletics department prices single-game tickets by opponent, and resale follows the same pattern.
TIDE PRIDE, student seats and the resale route
Most of the stadium is spoken for before any single-game ticket goes on sale. Season seats belong to TIDE PRIDE members. The university created that priority program in 1987, in time for the 1988 season, and new fans typically get on a waiting list or pay for premium seats to break in.
- Season tickets: the better your TIDE PRIDE priority, the better your location.
- Students: their own pool, open to enrolled students who show a valid ID card.
- Single games: a small supply, with prices set by opponent and by deck.
- Visiting schools: a block for their own fans.
- Resale: the realistic option for anyone without priority, and nearly the only one for Auburn or a ranked league opponent.
On the secondary market, the Tide's ranking, the matchup and the weather set the tone. Marquee games hold firm; early nonconference games often ease near kickoff. Every Reserved Seat order is covered by a 100% guarantee. Season tickets and parking passes arrive on your phone, and its schedules and policies are on the Alabama athletics ticket page.
Saturday in Tuscaloosa: arrival and traditions
Your destination is 920 Paul W Bryant Drive. Visitors from out of state often land at a bigger airport elsewhere in the region and make the drive. Arrive early: campus is crowded hours ahead, close-in spaces are largely permit-only, and local hotel rooms vanish for marquee games, which pushes many fans to stay in another town. Night games end with a long crawl out, and a lot of people simply linger on campus or downtown until traffic clears. Rules for parking, shuttles, bags and tailgates are reset every year, so read the university's latest gameday information.
- Walk of Champions: the 2006 plaza linking the stadium and University Boulevard, with granite monuments to national and SEC titles and bronze statues of the five coaches who won national titles there: Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings and Saban.
- The songs: "Yea Alabama" is the fight song, "Dixieland Delight" is the unofficial anthem, and "Roll Tide" doubles as cheer and greeting.
- The lights: an LED system installed in 2019 runs color and light shows during games.
Eighteen titles and the names behind them
The Tide compete in the SEC within the Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, college football's highest tier. The school counts 18 national championships (13 awarded in the AP or Coaches' poll era) and 30 conference crowns in the SEC. Two coaches account for a dozen of those national titles: Paul "Bear" Bryant with six between 1958 and 1982, and Nick Saban with six between 2007 and 2023. Four Heisman winners came through Tuscaloosa: Mark Ingram II in 2009, Derrick Henry in 2015, DeVonta Smith in 2020 and Bryce Young in 2021. No program has been to more bowls or won more of them.
A Birmingham writer coined "Crimson Tide" while covering a mud-soaked Auburn game in 1907. Elephants entered the picture in 1930, when press accounts called the team the "Red Elephants," which is why Big Al roams the sideline. The biggest crowd in stadium history, 101,821, came before 2020's seating changes reduced capacity.
Frequently asked questions
Which rows are best on the lower sideline at Bryant-Denny?
Middle rows of the lower bowl, between the 30-yard lines. The front rows sit behind the benches and sideline staff, so a few rows of height usually shows more of the field.
How do I get Alabama season tickets?
Through TIDE PRIDE, the university's priority program. Most newcomers start on a waiting list or buy premium seats to get in.
Which gates do Alabama students use?
Gates 39 and 40, per the athletics department, opening to students two hours ahead of kickoff.
Is the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa every year?
No. The game rotates between Tuscaloosa and Auburn, usually on Thanksgiving weekend. Check the schedule for the year's site.
What is the attendance record at Bryant-Denny Stadium?
A crowd of 101,821, from the years before 2020 seating changes. Official capacity is now 100,077.
Where are the premium clubs at Bryant-Denny?
All on the west side: the Founders Suites, the Champions Club and the Terrace Club.