The Orange Bowl is played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens around New Year’s, and the Boca Raton Bowl (the game most people mean when they search “boca bowl”) is played at FAU’s on-campus stadium in mid-December. Here is how we get tickets, get there and get out again for both, plus where to confirm the dates and prices that change every season.
The two games side by side
Both games are run by groups you can check directly. The Orange Bowl Committee is a nonprofit headquartered in Miami Lakes that was founded in 1935, formally incorporated in May 1939, and has staged the game since the first one on January 1, 1935. The Boca Raton Bowl belongs to ESPN Events and has been played on the Florida Atlantic University campus since 2014.
| Orange Bowl | Boca Raton Bowl | |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr, Miami Gardens | Flagler Credit Union Stadium (FAU Stadium), 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton |
| County | Miami-Dade | Palm Beach |
| Capacity | About 65,000 | About 30,000 |
| Typical date | Dec 30 to Jan 1, set by the CFP calendar | A weeknight in mid-December |
| Status | New Year’s Six, College Football Playoff rotation | Group of Five tie-ins (AAC, C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt rotation) |
| Title sponsor | Capital One | Changes; check the bowl’s site |
| Where to confirm | Orange Bowl Committee site | FAU ticket office or ESPN Events |
Getting tickets
Quick steps: buy Orange Bowl tickets
- Watch the CFP selection show in early December for the matchup.
- Go to the Orange Bowl Committee’s official site and follow its ticket link to Ticketmaster.
- Check the two participating schools’ ticket offices for their allotments.
- Pick a seat section with the sun and your budget in mind.
- Buy parking at the same time; lots sell out before seats do.
- Load tickets into your phone wallet before game day.
The Orange Bowl sells through Ticketmaster, and the committee also releases seats through the schools once the matchup is known. Resale prices swing hard depending on who is coming. A Clemson or Georgia fan base drives up the market; a Group of Five opponent brings it down. We never buy from a social media seller who wants Zelle.
The Boca Raton Bowl is a far cheaper night out. Tickets go through the FAU ticket office and the bowl’s own page, and because the stadium is small and the game lands on a weeknight, locals can usually walk up and buy. Confirm current prices with the FAU box office, since they change each year.
What you need
- Mobile ticket in your phone wallet
- Clear bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a small clutch
- Prepaid parking pass printed or on your phone
- Sunscreen and a hat for a daytime kickoff
- Cash-free payment; both stadiums are cashless at concessions
Getting to Hard Rock Stadium and parking
Hard Rock Stadium sits in Miami Gardens between Florida’s Turnpike and I-95, with the main entrances off NW 199th Street (Dan Marino Boulevard) and NW 27th Avenue. Prepaid parking is sold through the stadium’s parking page, and on bowl day the lots open several hours before kickoff. If you arrive without a pass, you will circle the neighborhood lots on NW 27th Avenue and pay whatever the lot owner asks.
The stadium has a designated rideshare pickup area, which moves from event to event, so check the stadium’s transportation page the week of the game. Tri-Rail and Brightline do not stop at the stadium; the nearest rail options need a shuttle or a rideshare for the last leg. Fans flying in through “miami international airport” should budget 35 to 45 minutes north on the Turnpike, more on New Year’s Eve.
Good to know
Both stadiums enforce the NFL-style clear bag policy and turn people away at the gate for backpacks and purses. A late December kickoff can still hit 80 degrees at Hard Rock Stadium, and the east and south sideline seats take the afternoon sun. Hydrate before you walk in.
Local tip
Get out of Miami Gardens the back way. Exit the lots toward NW 27th Avenue and head south to a late dinner near “aventura mall” instead of fighting the Turnpike ramps with 60,000 other cars. Give the stadium traffic 45 minutes to clear.
Getting to FAU Stadium in Boca Raton
The FAU campus is at Glades Road and I-95, with the stadium on the north side of campus. Parking is in the campus garages and surface lots; FAU posts which ones open for the bowl and whether there is a fee. The Boca Raton Tri-Rail station on Yamato Road is a short rideshare from campus, which makes the train a realistic option from Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach for a 7 or 8 p.m. kickoff. Dress warmer than you think; a mid-December night by the Intracoastal can drop into the 50s.
Recent results
The Orange Bowl now rotates as a College Football Playoff quarterfinal or semifinal, so the date and the stakes change each year.
| Season | Date played | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dec 30, 2019 | Florida 36, Virginia 28 |
| 2020 | Jan 2, 2021 | Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27 |
| 2021 | Dec 31, 2021 | Georgia 34, Michigan 11 (CFP semifinal) |
| 2022 | Dec 30, 2022 | Tennessee 31, Clemson 14 |
| 2023 | Dec 30, 2023 | Georgia 63, Florida State 3 |
| 2024 | Jan 9, 2025 | Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24 (CFP semifinal) |
| Season | Boca Raton Bowl result |
|---|---|
| 2020 | BYU 49, UCF 23 |
| 2021 | Western Kentucky 59, Appalachian State 38 |
| 2022 | Toledo 21, Liberty 19 |
| 2023 | South Florida 45, Syracuse 0 |
| 2024 | James Madison 27, Western Kentucky 17 |
If you searched “orange bowl 2026,” note that the game for the 2025 season was played on December 31, 2025, and Hard Rock Stadium then hosted the CFP National Championship on January 19, 2026. The next Orange Bowl, for the 2026 season, is scheduled for January 14, 2027, as a CFP semifinal rather than a New Year’s game. The exact date depends on the playoff bracket the CFP releases, so check the Orange Bowl Committee site rather than a ticket reseller.
The Orange Bowl beyond game day
The committee raises money year round and puts it back into South Florida through events and school programs. Its Youth Football Alliance runs a tournament series across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic brings college hoops to town in December, and the junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships has launched future pros for decades. The committee posts schedules and news on YouTube, Instagram and X (Twitter), and takes donations through its foundation page.
The Junior Orange Bowl is a separate Coral Gables nonprofit with its own youth sports events and a long-running parade; its logo and website are different from the main game’s.
The Miami Hurricanes connection matters here too. The original Orange Bowl stadium in Little Havana was the Hurricanes’ home until 2007 and the site of their national title runs, and LoanDepot Park now stands on that ground. The Hurricanes play at Hard Rock Stadium today, so their fans already know the parking lots and the gates when the bowl comes around. Out-of-town visitors with a day to spare before kickoff usually end up at one of the “miami beaches” on the Haulover or South Beach end.
When to get help
Call the Orange Bowl Committee ticket office for group sales, ADA seating and lost mobile tickets, and the FAU ticket office for anything Boca Raton Bowl related. For parking disputes at Hard Rock Stadium, the stadium’s guest services number on your parking pass is the one that gets answered.
FAQ
How to make an orange bowl?
If you landed here looking for the craft, a hollowed orange half makes a serving bowl for sorbet or fruit salad. Cut the orange across the middle, scoop the flesh with a spoon, and freeze the shell for 20 minutes so it holds its shape.
What does the word “orange” mean?
The game and the state fruit share the name on purpose. The committee picked it in 1935 to sell Florida citrus and winter tourism to the rest of the country, and the orange crop still shows up on the game’s logo and halftime branding.
What is Orange Business Services US Inc.?
It is the American subsidiary of Orange Business, the enterprise telecom arm of France’s Orange S.A. It has nothing to do with the football game; the two just share a search result.
What are the sweetest oranges to buy?
For eating out of hand, navel and Cara Cara oranges in winter are the sweetest in the supermarket. Florida Valencias are the juice orange, and honey tangerines from Florida groves peak in January, right around the game.
