The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 12p ET on Saturday, December 5, on ABC. This positions the ACC Football Championship Game as the first game to kick off Championship Saturday.
“We are excited this year’s ACC Football Championship Game will be a noon kickoff on ABC as it places our game in an exceptional television window and allows for our attending fans the opportunity to experience an afternoon game in Bank of America Stadium,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Being the first conference championship to kick off on Championship Saturday allows us to lead the day on a national stage, showcase our student-athletes and programs and deliver a marquee event to fans across the country.”
The appearance on ABC continues a long-standing broadcast partnership, as 2026 marks the 14th consecutive year, and the 18th time overall, that the ACC Football Championship Game will air on the network. The title game has been televised on either ABC or ESPN every year since its inaugural season in 2005.
The shift to a noon kickoff moves the championship game from its traditional Saturday night window for the first time since 2020, when the game kicked off at 4 p.m. ET.
The game will once again be hosted at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.