The next College Football Playoff begins with first-round games on Friday, December 19, 2025, and Saturday, December 20, 2025.
Start dates
- First-round CFP games are scheduled for December 19–20, 2025, marking the official start of the 2025–26 playoff.
- The quarterfinals then follow on December 31, 2025, and January 1, 2026, but the playoffs themselves “start” with those first-round campus-site games on December 19.
