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    Military Bowl Tickets

    ACC vs. American · Mon., Dec. 28, 2026, 2 p.m. ET · open air

    A 34,000-seat Navy stadium means few bad seats. Choose a sideline, keep the sun behind you and leave time for the Clydesdales on game morning.

    By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated How we research

    Upcoming Military Bowl 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.

    Where to sit at the Military Bowl

    Pick a sideline seat between the 30-yard lines, and in a stadium this size, do not be afraid of the upper rows. This year's game, newly renamed the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl, starts at 2 p.m. Eastern on Monday, December 28, 2026, at the Naval Academy's stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. It is an open-air stadium of about 34,000 seats, so nearly every seat sits closer to the field than it would in an NFL building.

    • For the cleanest look at both teams: sideline, 30 to 30.
    • For the best value: upper sideline rows, which add height without much distance.
    • For warmth: club seats or suites, added in renovations, offer groups an indoor retreat from the cold.

    Sun angle and the two sidelines

    The playing field is oriented northwest–southeast, with the press box and the bigger grandstand on the southwest sideline. On a late-December afternoon the sun hangs low and slides toward the southwest, behind that press-box side, as the game goes on.

    • Southwest (press-box) sideline: the sun ends up behind you in the second half.
    • Northeast sideline: you may find yourself squinting into the sun late in the game. Bring sunglasses.
    • Low end zone rows: they look close but make the opposite end of the field hard to read. Go higher if you sit behind a goal line.

    Expect cold, and possibly a stiff breeze from the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay. Warm layers, a hat and a seat cushion will do more for you than a better row. Look around, too: the stadium is covered in memorial plaques, thousands of them, on walls and bench backs, each honoring someone who served in the Navy or Marine Corps.

    Who plays and how the crowd size swings

    For 2026, the matchup is an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team against an American Athletic Conference (the American) team. Tie-ins, the contracts that give a conference's teams a bowl slot, are reset in multi-year cycles, and earlier editions also drew on the MAC, the Mountain West, Conference USA, Army and Navy. Selections come right after the early-December championship games, and the resale market reacts the same week.

    Distance and travel habits drive the rest. Virginia Tech and Tulane drew 35,849 in 2023, while Duke and UCF drew 17,974 in 2022 and East Carolina and Pittsburgh drew 17,016 in 2025. A campus within a day's drive, an ACC school in Virginia or North Carolina for example, pushes demand up. A pair of faraway schools usually means plenty of inventory into game week. Seats between the 20s carry a premium nearly every year, and end zones and corners are where the value sits.

    Game morning: Clydesdales and the tailgate

    Admission to the bowl's side events is free. The foundation's 2026 list, with times due in the fall:

    • December 27, Miracle in Annapolis: the Budweiser Clydesdales on West Street, along with food trucks, games and vendors.
    • December 27, pub crawl: a downtown bar crawl on the eve of the game.
    • December 28, Military Bowl Parade: the Clydesdales lead it through downtown. In 2023 it left City Dock at 10 a.m. and ended at the stadium, four hours ahead of kickoff.
    • December 28, Military Bowl Tailgate: vendors, merchandise and local food in the stadium lot.

    Want both the parade and the game? Leave your car by the stadium before heading downtown; the bowl has recently opened one lot gate early for RVs and parade-goers.

    Lots, shuttles and the clear-bag rule

    Annapolis lies about midway between Baltimore and the nation's capital, so most fans arrive by car, some after flying into one of the area's airports. You will find the stadium at 550 Taylor Ave., beside the academy and near downtown. From the bowl's latest posted guidance:

    • At the stadium: day-of parking by credit card only, while spaces last; oversized vehicles needed passes in advance. Tailgating on stadium property was allowed, including small gas grills.
    • Park and ride: no-cost buses from the Harry S Truman Road lot, and paid overflow parking at schools in the area.
    • Accessible parking: drivers with placards used Gate 2 or Gate 6.
    • Bags: only see-through bags (plastic, vinyl or PVC) under the bowl's clear-bag rule.

    Details shift from year to year; read the bowl's transportation page in game week. Reserved Seat backs every order with a 100% guarantee.

    EagleBank to Freedom Mortgage: what the names mean

    Behind the game is a 501(c)(3) charity, the Military Bowl Foundation, whose stated purpose is putting on Washington-area events that help service members. It supports Patriot Point, 294 acres on the Eastern Shore of Maryland where wounded, ill and injured troops, along with their families and caregivers, can get away. It also operates the DC Touchdown Club. Early on, the USO received much of the benefit.

    The sponsor changes explain the many names you will see in searches:

    • 2008–2009: EagleBank Bowl
    • 2010–2019: Northrop Grumman as presenting sponsor
    • 2020: presented by Perspecta
    • 2021–2022: presented by Peraton
    • 2023: presented by GoBowling.com; 2024–2025: Go Bowling Military Bowl
    • 2026 on: Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl, after a multiyear agreement announced in May 2026

    "Go Bowling" was the sponsor's name only. No bowling event was ever part of the game.

    From RFK Stadium to the Naval Academy

    A Washington, D.C. bowl committee launched the game. Its debut, December 20, 2008, at RFK Stadium, went to Wake Forest over Navy, 29–19, with 28,777 attending. RFK remained home until 2012; Annapolis has hosted since 2013. The only missing year is 2020, when not enough teams were available. The Annapolis stadium itself opened in 1959; its biggest crowd, 38,803, came for Navy against Air Force in 2023.

    • Largest bowl crowd: 38,062 at RFK in 2010, when Maryland routed East Carolina 51–20.
    • Tightest finish: Toledo over Air Force by a single point, 42–41, in 2011.
    • Navy's record: 2–1, with home wins over Pittsburgh (44–28, 2015) and Virginia (49–7, 2017).
    • Most points by one team: North Carolina's 55 against Temple in 2019.
    • Latest champions: Duke in 2022, Virginia Tech in 2023, and East Carolina in back-to-back years, 2024 and 2025.

    Frequently asked questions

    Which side of the stadium has the sun behind it at the Military Bowl?

    The southwest sideline, where the press box sits. With a 2 p.m. late-December kickoff, the low sun drops behind that side, so fans on the northeast sideline can face it.

    Are upper-row seats good at the Military Bowl?

    Often, yes. The stadium holds about 34,000, so upper sideline rows add a clear view of formations without putting you far from the field.

    What day and time is the 2026 Military Bowl?

    It kicks off at 2 p.m. Eastern on Monday, December 28, 2026, in Annapolis, pitting an ACC school against one from the American.

    Can I see the parade before kickoff?

    Yes, if you plan ahead. In 2023 the parade left City Dock at 10 a.m. and ended at the stadium. Parking near the stadium first makes it easier.

    Is there a free shuttle to the Military Bowl?

    The bowl's most recent guidance included a no-cost shuttle out of the Harry S Truman Road Park and Ride, and paid overflow lots at schools nearby.

    Why did it go by the Go Bowling Military Bowl name?

    GoBowling.com was the sponsor from 2023 through 2025. Freedom Mortgage took over the title sponsorship in 2026.

    Sources