The NCAA on Wednesday announced it has finalized kickoff times and broadcast details for some of its 2026 FCS playoff games.
According to the announcement, the quarterfinal round will open Friday, Dec. 11 with a game at 7 p.m. Mountain time on ESPN, with other quarterfinal contests being played the following day at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. — both on ESPN. The fourth quarterfinal game on Dec. 12 does not yet have a kickoff time, but will stream on ESPN+.
With the 2026 FCS football season underway, #FCSPlayoffs and #FCSChampionship GAME TIMES ARE ANNOUNCED 🏈👏
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) September 2, 2026
🎟️ https://t.co/lkR9AroeXA#FCS pic.twitter.com/9wmmaRz5we
The national semifinal games will both be played on Saturday, Dec. 19. The first game will kick off at 2 p.m. Mountain time and air on ABC, and the second semi will begin at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN2.
The national championship game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 11, at 5:30 p.m. Mountain. It will be broadcast on ESPN from FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
The 2026 FCS playoff bracket, comprised of 24 teams, will be announced Sunday, Nov. 22. First-round games are scheduled to begin the weekend of Nov. 28, with second-round games being played the weekend of Dec. 5.
The top eight national seeds will receive a first-round bye. Home-field advantage for the first round will belong to teams seeded 9 through 16.
The FCS championship game was held in Nashville last year for the first time after a 15 year run in Frisco, Texas. Montana State defeated Illinois State 35-34 in double overtime to win its first national title since 1984.
