After a nine-year absence, the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl is coming back — and it’s landing at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time. The 13th edition of the bowl kicks off the new Pac-12 Conference’s first-ever bowl tie-in on Wednesday, December 23, 2026, pairing a Pac-12 team against an opponent from the ACC, Big 12, or Big Ten. Here’s everything to know to plan your visit.

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Date & Time

Wednesday, December 23, 2026 — kickoff at 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET. The game airs nationally on The CW, with streaming available via the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

Poinsettia Bowl History

The Poinsettia Bowl ran for 12 years, from 2005 to 2016, entirely at Qualcomm/SDCCU Stadium in Mission Valley — this December marks its first-ever appearance at Snapdragon Stadium, which didn’t open until 2022. Navy opened the modern era with a 51-14 win over Colorado State in 2005, TCU won the bowl three times (2006, 2008, 2011), and BYU’s 24-21 win over Wyoming closed out the run in 2016. San Diego County Credit Union returns as title sponsor, continuing the naming-rights partnership it held throughout the bowl’s original run.

Did you know: the Poinsettia Bowl name goes back even further than 2005. A predecessor bowl was played at Balboa Stadium from 1952 to 1955 as a military academy championship before the modern NCAA-sanctioned version launched in 2005.

SDSU in the Poinsettia Bowl

The Aztecs aren’t strangers to this game. SDSU played in three Poinsettia Bowls during the previous run, going 1-2: a 35-14 win over Navy in 2010, a 23-6 loss to BYU in 2012, and a 17-16 loss to Navy in 2014. Now that SDSU is a member of the new Pac-12 — the conference anchoring one side of the 2026 tie-in — there’s a real path for the Aztecs to play a bowl game in their own stadium again.

Teams and Matchup

Matchup TBD. The tie-in pits a team from the new Pac-12 against a team from the ACC, Big 12, or Big Ten. Official matchups for the 2026 bowl season typically aren’t finalized until early-to-mid December, after conference championship weekend shakes out the standings. We’ll update this page the moment teams are announced, so bookmark it or check back closer to bowl season.

Tickets

Ticket access will roll out in tiers: annual Holiday Bowl ticket holders get first access, followed by an exclusive presale for SDCCU members, before tickets open to the general public in September 2026. The official Poinsettia Bowl website is the best place to get on the list for presale notifications.

Two Bowl Games, One December at Snapdragon

San Diego just picked up a rare doubleheader: the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23 at 4:30 PM, followed five days later by the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 at 2:00 PM. Both games air on The CW and both play out at Snapdragon Stadium, giving San Diego back-to-back postseason college football for the first time in the venue’s history. If you’re making a trip out of bowl season, our Holiday Bowl guide covers the second half of that doubleheader.

Parking and Transportation

Parking at Snapdragon Stadium fills up fast for big bowl crowds, so plan to arrive early and reserve ahead where possible. If you’d rather skip the lots entirely, the Green Line trolley drops you right at the stadium.

Before heading to the stadium, review the bag policy, check what’s allowed inside with our items allowed guide, and browse food and drink options. You can also check out the seating guide to plan where you want to sit.

Read about the history of SDCCU Stadium.