Upcoming Arizona Wildcats 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.
Your Wildcats seat, decided
For Arizona Wildcats football at Casino Del Sol Stadium, choose the west sideline if the game starts in daylight early in the season; with the field pointing north-south, the late-day sun lands on the backs of west-side fans and in the eyes of everyone across the way. Pick the east side if you want to be near the ZonaZoo student section and its noise. End zones cost the least, but plays at the opposite goal line are hard to judge from there.
- Comfort in the heat: west sideline.
- Atmosphere: the east side, next to the ZonaZoo.
- Premium: the Sands Club and other seats in the Lowell-Stevens building at the north end, or the suites and loges above the west stands.
- Value: the end zones and the upper east deck.
The stadium sits on the UA campus, and home Saturdays run from late summer to Thanksgiving week.
Casino Del Sol Stadium, side by side
Opening day was October 12, 1929, when the only seating was a 7,000-seat west stand. Expansion came in waves. The east side got its grandstand in 1938, the south end was closed into a horseshoe in 1950, a second east deck holding 17,000 went up in 1976, and the Lowell-Stevens building closed off the north end zone in 2013. The Arizona Stadium name lasted until November 2025, when the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's 20-year sponsorship was announced. Capacity figures vary slightly: roughly 50,800 on the stadium's history (2022) and 50,782 in later program material.
West sideline
Season-ticket holders occupy most of this side. Overhead, the press box and the suite and loge levels jut out over the seats.
East side
A lower and an upper deck. About 9,000 students pack the lower east sideline as the ZonaZoo, a section bigger than most in the conference.
Southwest corner
Where visiting fans are typically seated.
End zones
Up north, Lowell-Stevens offers some 4,200 chairback seats plus roughly 500 premium spots, the Sands Club among them. At the opposite end, the main video board towers over the south stands.
Kickoff time beats section number in Tucson
In the desert, when the game starts matters as much as where you sit. An August or September kickoff in daylight can be punishing on the east side, which faces the low western sun. By late-season night games, both sides are pleasant. Look at the start time first; if a game flips to daytime, a west-side seat is worth the switch.
The playing surface, at roughly 2,430 feet above sea level, is a synthetic turf picked because it runs cooler in direct sun. You cannot carry in outside food or drinks, with one listed exception: water. Bring some.
When the Sun Devils come to Tucson
Arizona State is the game. Fans call it the Duel in the Desert; the prize, since the first meeting in 1899, is the Territorial Cup. Both programs switched leagues in tandem, into the Pac-10 out of the WAC in 1978 and into the Big 12 in 2024. The Wildcats hold the series edge, but the schools disagree by one game on the exact count: 52-45-1 in Arizona's books through 2025, 52-46-1 in Arizona State's. The Sun Devils visit in alternating years, and those are the hardest home tickets of the season. The visitor's view is on the Arizona State Sun Devils Football page.
- New Mexico: an annual opponent until 1978, now an occasional one.
- Big 12 newcomers: visits from BYU, Colorado and Utah add road crowds and new interest.
- Night games and ranked visitors: both pull bigger crowds.
A September nonconference date is the simplest, lowest-cost introduction.
Season seats, ZonaZoo passes and resale
The athletics ticket office sells season tickets, single games and group packages. Contributors to the athletics fund usually get first pick of season seats and parking, which keeps the shaded west sideline largely in the hands of longtime holders. Students use ZonaZoo passes.
Most fans who land seats for the rivalry game or another hot date do it on the resale market. Prices there respond to the matchup, the start time and how the Wildcats are playing. For a day game, buyers chase the shaded west side and the premium areas; the upper east deck and the end zones tend to be the bargains. Reserved Seat backs every order with a 100% guarantee.
Clear bags, Cherry Garage and the Cat Cruiser
Bags must be clear. The athletics department allows one transparent plastic or vinyl bag up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a gallon-size clear freezer bag, and a clutch small enough to fit in your hand. Leave fanny packs, backpacks, cooler bags, big purses and artificial noisemakers behind. The gates open an hour and a half before kickoff. Review the clear-bag policy before you go.
Parking on campus is card-only according to the most recent fan guide, and Cherry Garage puts you nearest the stadium. Another option is the Sun Link streetcar: leave the car somewhere on its route and ride in. Fans coming from Phoenix can book the Cat Cruiser, a bus run by the athletics department that pulls in roughly two hours ahead of kickoff and heads home half an hour after the game.
Bear Down Bash to fireworks: a Tucson Saturday
The day starts early. The fan guide has tailgating lots opening roughly six hours out, the Bear Down Bash fan zone at about three and a half hours, and the Wildcat Walk, where fans line the route as players head into the stadium, at about two and a half hours. ZonaZoo students use Gates 2 and 4.
- Team entrance: fireworks over the stadium.
- Between quarters: the "U of A" chant, led by the students.
- After a win: the band plays "Bear Down."
Each December since 2015, the stadium has also staged the Arizona Bowl, which makes a winter visit to Tucson a second chance at football.
Button Salmon, the Desert Swarm and 2023
Football at Arizona dates to 1899. The program played in the Border Conference and then the WAC, spent 1978 through 2023 in the Pac-10 and Pac-12, and entered the Big 12 in 2024. It has won or shared six league championships.
Bear Down traces to 1926. Quarterback John "Button" Salmon, also the student body president, was fatally injured in a car accident that year, and his final message to coach Pop McKale was "Tell them... tell the team to Bear Down." The students made it the school's athletic motto shortly afterward.
- 1987 to 2000: Dick Tomey's tenure, best known for the 1990s defenses nicknamed the Desert Swarm.
- 1993: a co-championship in the Pac-10 and a 29 to 0 blanking of Miami, the Fiesta Bowl's first-ever shutout. The 1998 Wildcats reached double-digit wins as well.
- 2014: a division crown in the Pac-12 South, followed by a Fiesta Bowl appearance.
- 2023: wins over three straight ranked opponents and a comeback Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
Frequently asked questions
Which sideline is cooler for an afternoon Wildcats game?
West. Because the field is aligned north-south, the afternoon sun hits the east stands head-on and stays behind the west stands.
Where are visiting fans seated in Tucson?
Typically in the southwest corner.
Which gates do ZonaZoo students use?
Gates 2 and 4 lead to the ZonaZoo, the roughly 9,000-seat student area on the lower east sideline.
Can I bring water into an Arizona football game?
Yes. Water is the listed exception to the ban on outside food and drinks. Check the athletics department's current rules before you go.
Is there a bus from Phoenix to Arizona home games?
Yes, the Cat Cruiser. According to the fan guide, it reaches Tucson roughly two hours ahead of kickoff and leaves half an hour after the game.
What was Casino Del Sol Stadium called before?
It opened in 1929 as Arizona Stadium and kept that name until the Pascua Yaqui Tribe sponsorship was announced in November 2025.