Play 26CFB
GameDay Flex Reserve
- Screens and targeting
- Hold 10-15% of budget; move into the announced College GameDay (ESPN) or Big Noon Kickoff (FOX) host DMA
- Timing
- Sun/Mon announcement → Sat
Season calendar
The 2026-27 football calendar, built for people who buy media.
Every pro, college, HBCU and FCS date that changes where fans are and what they buy, from the first breakfast game out of London to the Big Game on Feb 14. Each date comes with the play that fits it.
- 100,000+ DOOH plans built
- Plans used by WPP, Omnicom and Publicis agency teams
- Plans in one business day
- Run in your own DSP or fully managed
- Bowl game plan run December 2025
Open a sample plan map →
- 100,000+ DOOH plans built
- Plans used by WPP, Omnicom and Publicis agency teams
- Plans in one business day
- Run in your own DSP or fully managed
- Bowl game plan run December 2025
All dates
57 dates. Filter to the ones that matter to you.
- Sat Sept 26Play 26, 32CollegeHBCUTentpole
Texas at Tennessee (GameDay Week 4); State Fair Classic
Knoxville; Dallas · GameDay host city plus the season’s first big HBCU classic
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
- Sat Sept 26Play 26, 21, 32CollegeHBCUTentpole
Also: Illinois at Ohio State (FOX Big Noon Kickoff); Oklahoma at Georgia; South Carolina at Alabama; Boombox Classic; Penn State Homecoming vs Wisconsin
Columbus; Athens; Tuscaloosa; Jackson MS; State College · Stacked Saturday across five markets
Play 26CFBGameDay Flex Reserve
- Screens and targeting
- Hold 10-15% of budget; move into the announced College GameDay (ESPN) or Big Noon Kickoff (FOX) host DMA
- Timing
- Sun/Mon announcement → Sat
Play 21CFBCollege Saturday Rings
- Screens and targeting
- 2-mi rings at all 138 FBS stadiums (or one conference)
- Timing
- Fri 3pm → Sat night on home weekends
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
Play 26: GameDay Flex Reserve → · Play 21: College Saturday Rings → · Play 32: HBCU Classics →
- Sun Sept 27Play 1NFLInternational
Rio game (4:25pm, CBS): Dallas home game played abroad
Rio de Janeiro; Dallas-Ft. Worth DMA · Home DMA watch parties with no stadium traffic
Play 1NFLSunday Window Takeover
- Screens and targeting
- Bars, casual dining, sports venues in blocks indexing 110+ for NFL interest
- Timing
- Sun 12:30pm-11:30pm ET, local-adjusted (includes Sunday Night Football, the biggest weekly window at 23.5M in 2025); TNF Thu 8-11:30pm; MNF Mon 8-11:30pm
- October (Crucial Catch) · Nov 5-9 cluster (Salute to Service, Veterans Day Nov 11) · early Dec (My Cause My Cleats) · late Dec (Inspire Change)NFLCause & civic
League cause moments
National · Health systems, veteran-owned and cause brands can align generically (no marks)
- OctoberPlay 28CollegeSchedule
Homecoming season (most schools)
All college towns · Alumni return to campus
Play 28CFBHomecoming & Parents Weekend
- Screens and targeting
- Hotels, restaurants, college-town roadside, campus screens (non-alcohol)
- Timing
- October weekends
- Fri Oct 2Play 21CollegeTentpole
Northwestern opens new Ryan Field vs Penn State
Evanston · New-stadium opening night
Play 21CFBCollege Saturday Rings
- Screens and targeting
- 2-mi rings at all 138 FBS stadiums (or one conference)
- Timing
- Fri 3pm → Sat night on home weekends
- Sat Oct 3Play 26, 32CollegeHBCUTentpoleLikely
GameDay Week 5 (Starkville, Ames or Clemson likely); Truth & Service Classic; Gulf Coast Challenge
TBA; DC; Mobile · GameDay flex reserve plus two HBCU classics
Play 26CFBGameDay Flex Reserve
- Screens and targeting
- Hold 10-15% of budget; move into the announced College GameDay (ESPN) or Big Noon Kickoff (FOX) host DMA
- Timing
- Sun/Mon announcement → Sat
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
- Sun Oct 4, 11, 18, 25; Sun Nov 8Play 4NFLInternational
London ×3 (Tottenham, Wembley), Paris (first ever), Madrid, all 9:30am ET
London; Paris; Madrid · “Breakfast football” daypart
Play 4NFLBreakfast Football
- Screens and targeting
- QSR/coffee, gas pumps, gyms; national + the two teams’ home DMAs
- Timing
- ET/CT markets 8-11:30am local; MT/PT markets 5:30-9am local (gas + coffee weighted); the two teams’ home DMAs at 1.5×; Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 8, Nov 15
- Weeks 5-14See flighting to the real scheduleNFLSchedule
Bye weeks (none in Week 12)
Team markets · Team-fan segments pause; stadium rings off
- Sat Oct 10Play 35CollegeRivalry
Red River Rivalry at the State Fair
Cotton Bowl, Dallas · Neutral-site rivalry with two fan bases in one city
Play 35CFBNeutral-Site Megagames
- Screens and targeting
- Red River (Dallas, State Fair), Florida-Georgia (Atlanta), Notre Dame-Navy (Foxborough)
- Timing
- Oct 10, Oct 31
- Sat Oct 10Play 54CollegeTentpole
“Super Saturday”: Georgia at Alabama; Red River; USC at Penn State White Out (NBC, 7:30pm ET)
Tuscaloosa; Dallas; State College · Three marquee games in one day
Play 54CFBSuper Saturday, Oct 10
- Screens and targeting
- Tuscaloosa (Georgia at Alabama), Dallas Fair Park/Cotton Bowl (Red River), State College White Out (NBC 7:30pm ET); three markets, one weekend
- Timing
- Thu Oct 8 → Sat Oct 10
- Sat Oct 17Play 27CollegeRivalry
Alabama at Tennessee (Third Saturday in October); Auburn at Georgia (Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry)
Knoxville; Athens (Atlanta DMA, target by block) · Historic rivalry weekend
Play 27CFBRivalry Week
- Screens and targeting
- Large formats + rings in both schools’ markets; 2-week flights ending on game day
- Timing
- Nov 13-28 (and Oct 17 rivalries)
- Sat Oct 24Play 32CollegeHBCUTentpole
Southern vs Texas Southern (neutral site)
Reliant Stadium, Houston · HBCU neutral-site game in a top-10 DMA
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
- Sat Oct 31Play 35, 32CollegeHBCUTentpole
Florida-Georgia in Atlanta (not Jacksonville) · Notre Dame-Navy (Foxborough) · Magic City Classic
Atlanta; Foxborough; Birmingham · Neutral-site rivalries in new cities
Play 35CFBNeutral-Site Megagames
- Screens and targeting
- Red River (Dallas, State Fair), Florida-Georgia (Atlanta), Notre Dame-Navy (Foxborough)
- Timing
- Oct 10, Oct 31
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
Play 35: Neutral-Site Megagames → · Play 32: HBCU Classics →
- Tue Nov 3Political playbookCollegeCause & civic
Election Day: Saturday audiences before it
Nationwide · Final Saturday reach before the vote
- Tue Nov 3, 7pm ET; then Tuesdays Nov 10, 17, 24, Dec 1Play 31CollegePostseason
First CFP rankings (also Election Day), then weekly
National · Weekly playoff-race tune-in
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Wed Nov 4CollegeSchedule
“MACtion” midweek nights begin
MAC towns / Detroit · Weeknight football windows
- Sat Nov 7Play 27CollegeRivalry
Holy War: BYU at Utah; Alabama at LSU
Salt Lake City; Baton Rouge · Rivalry weekend
Play 27CFBRivalry Week
- Screens and targeting
- Large formats + rings in both schools’ markets; 2-week flights ending on game day
- Timing
- Nov 13-28 (and Oct 17 rivalries)
- Tue Nov 10, 4pm ETPlay 47NFLFantasy & betting
Trade deadline
National · Sports-media and fantasy spike
Play 47NFLFantasy Playoff Push
- Screens and targeting
- AMAP Fantasy Sports and (legal states) Sports-betting cohorts; bars, gyms, office, transit
- Timing
- Nov 10 trade deadline → fantasy playoffs Dec 17-Jan 4
- Sun Nov 15Play 4NFLInternational
Munich (9:30am ET, FOX)
Munich · Breakfast daypart
Play 4NFLBreakfast Football
- Screens and targeting
- QSR/coffee, gas pumps, gyms; national + the two teams’ home DMAs
- Timing
- ET/CT markets 8-11:30am local; MT/PT markets 5:30-9am local (gas + coffee weighted); the two teams’ home DMAs at 1.5×; Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 8, Nov 15
- Sat Nov 21Play 27, 32CollegeHBCURivalry
Big Game (Stanford at Cal); Harvard-Yale at Fenway; Florida Classic; Soul Bowl (Jackson State at Alcorn); LSU at Tennessee
Berkeley; Boston; Orlando; Lorman MS; Knoxville · Rivalries and HBCU classics across five markets
Play 27CFBRivalry Week
- Screens and targeting
- Large formats + rings in both schools’ markets; 2-week flights ending on game day
- Timing
- Nov 13-28 (and Oct 17 rivalries)
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
- Sun Nov 22Play 18NFLInternational
Mexico City (8:20pm ET, NBC)
Mexico City · Hispanic-market heavy-up
Play 18NFLHispanic Fans / Mexico City Night
- Screens and targeting
- Spanish-language creative in LA, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, Phoenix, DFW, Chicago blocks
- Timing
- Nov 22 (Mexico City) + Feb 1-14 (Big Game in Spanish on Univision and ESPN Deportes) + all season
- Wed Nov 25Play 5NFLHoliday
First-ever Thanksgiving Eve game (Netflix, 8pm)
Los Angeles (SoFi) · The night-before-Thanksgiving bar crowd now has a game
Play 5NFLThanksgiving Triple
- Screens and targeting
- Grocery/liquor/c-store Mon-Wed; bars Wed night (Thanksgiving Eve game); airports Tue-Wed
- Timing
- Nov 23-27
- Thu Nov 26Play 5NFLHoliday
Thanksgiving triple-header (1pm, 4:30pm, 8:20pm)
Detroit; Arlington; Orchard Park · 44.7M average last year, a record
Play 5NFLThanksgiving Triple
- Screens and targeting
- Grocery/liquor/c-store Mon-Wed; bars Wed night (Thanksgiving Eve game); airports Tue-Wed
- Timing
- Nov 23-27
- Thu Nov 26HBCUHoliday
Turkey Day Classic
Montgomery · Thanksgiving tradition
- Fri Nov 27Play 5NFLHoliday
Black Friday game (3pm, Prime Video)
Pittsburgh · Retail and football collide
Play 5NFLThanksgiving Triple
- Screens and targeting
- Grocery/liquor/c-store Mon-Wed; bars Wed night (Thanksgiving Eve game); airports Tue-Wed
- Timing
- Nov 23-27
- Fri Nov 27 - Sat Nov 28Play 27CollegeHBCURivalry
Rivalry week: Egg Bowl, Texas at Texas A&M (Black Friday night, 6:30pm CT, ABC); Iron Bowl, Michigan-Ohio State, Georgia Tech at Georgia, Palmetto Bowl, Bayou Classic (Saturday)
Oxford, College Station, Tuscaloosa, Columbus, Clemson, New Orleans · The biggest rivalry weekend of the year
Play 27CFBRivalry Week
- Screens and targeting
- Large formats + rings in both schools’ markets; 2-week flights ending on game day
- Timing
- Nov 13-28 (and Oct 17 rivalries)
- Dec 2-4Play 36CollegeOffseason
Early signing period
Recruiting markets · The real signing day
Play 36 · Signing Day & Portal: Calendar rows only; no standalone flight; fold into play 61 (Dec 2-4, Jan 2-16, Feb 3).
- Fri Dec 4 - Sat Dec 5Play 29CollegePostseason
Conference championships. Fri: Big 12 (Arlington, 8pm ABC), CUSA, Sun Belt, Pac-12, Mountain West. Sat: ACC (Charlotte, noon), MAC (Detroit, noon), SEC (Atlanta, 4pm), SWAC (2pm ESPN2, campus), American (8pm), Big Ten (Indianapolis, 8pm)
5 host cities · Title games in five host cities
Play 29CFBChampionship Saturday
- Screens and targeting
- Atlanta, Indianapolis, Arlington, Charlotte, Detroit; downtown, airports, hotels
- Timing
- Arlington Wed-Fri Dec 2-4; Charlotte, Detroit, Atlanta Thu-Sat; Indianapolis Fri-Sat night
- Sat Dec 5HBCUPostseason
SWAC Championship
Campus site (2pm ET, ESPN2) · Conference title game
- Sun Dec 6Play 31CollegePostseason
CFP Selection Day (12 teams)
National · Playoff field set
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Sat Dec 12Play 34, 32CollegeHBCUTentpole
Army-Navy (3pm CBS, MetLife; 7.84M viewers last year), Heisman ceremony (NYC), Celebration Bowl (Atlanta), FCS quarterfinals (Dec 11-12)
NY DMA; Atlanta · One day, two big-city takeovers
Play 34CFBNew York Football Saturday: Army-Navy + Heisman
- Screens and targeting
- MetLife 3-mi ring, Penn Station/Midtown, Lincoln Center area (Heisman), military-base trade areas
- Timing
- Dec 10-12
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
Play 34: New York Football Saturday: Army-Navy + Heisman → · Play 32: HBCU Classics →
- Dec 15 - Jan 2Play 30CollegePostseason
41 bowls in 30 cities (46 FBS postseason games incl. 4 CFP campus games and the title game). Dec 15 opens with the Salute to Veterans Bowl (formerly Camellia) and the Frisco Football Classic (replaced the Bahamas Bowl)
DFW ×5 (Frisco ×2, Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington), Orlando ×3, Tampa ×2, San Diego ×2, New Orleans ×2, plus Montgomery, Shreveport, Mobile, Birmingham, Annapolis, Albuquerque, Conway SC, Boca Raton, San Antonio, Tempe, Tucson, Glendale, Pasadena, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Charlotte, NYC, Boston, Memphis, El Paso, Houston (Texas Bowl, Reliant Stadium, formerly NRG), Nashville, Jacksonville, Boise, Honolulu, Puerto Rico · Bowl cities and airports
Play 30CFBBowl City Two-Phase
- Screens and targeting
- Phase 1 DMA-wide college fans; Phase 2 fans of the two selected teams + team-specific creative live next day
- Timing
- Selection → game
- Dec 17 - Jan 4Play 47NFLFantasy & betting
Fantasy playoffs (most leagues Weeks 15-17)
National · Peak fantasy engagement
Play 47NFLFantasy Playoff Push
- Screens and targeting
- AMAP Fantasy Sports and (legal states) Sports-betting cohorts; bars, gyms, office, transit
- Timing
- Nov 10 trade deadline → fantasy playoffs Dec 17-Jan 4
- Fri Dec 18 - Sat Dec 19Play 31CollegePostseason
CFP first round on campus (seeds 5-8 host)
4 campuses, 1-2 weeks’ notice · Short-notice campus takeovers
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Sat Dec 19, Dec 26, Jan 2, Jan 9Play 7NFLSchedule
Saturday pro doubleheaders
National · Saturday-night bar windows after college ends
Play 7NFLSaturday Night Doubleheaders
- Screens and targeting
- Bars/restaurants 5pm-midnight
- Timing
- Dec 19, 26, Jan 2, 9
- Thu Dec 24 · Fri Dec 25Play 6NFLHoliday
Christmas Eve (Prime) and three Christmas Day games (two on Netflix)
Philadelphia; Chicago; Denver; Seattle · 27.5M reached last Christmas on Netflix
Play 6NFLChristmas Football
- Screens and targeting
- Grocery/c-store Dec 21-24; airports/hotels; bars Christmas night
- Timing
- Dec 21-25
- Wed Dec 30 · Fri Jan 1Play 31CollegePostseason
CFP quarterfinals: Fiesta; Peach, Rose, Cotton
Glendale, Atlanta, Pasadena, Arlington · New Year’s bowl cities
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Jan 2-16Play 36CollegeOffseason
Transfer portal window
National · Fan engagement
Play 36 · Signing Day & Portal: Calendar rows only; no standalone flight; fold into play 61 (Dec 2-4, Jan 2-16, Feb 3).
- Sun Jan 10, 2027Play 8NFLPostseason
Final regular-season Sunday
National · Playoff races peak
Play 8NFLPlayoff Push
- Screens and targeting
- DMA heavy-up in markets with teams alive; score-agnostic city creative swapped by outcome (“Big weekend, Buffalo”); no team names, nicknames, players or team color schemes
- Timing
- Jan 16-31
- Mon Jan 11Play 33FCSPostseason
FCS national championship
Nashville · Two traveling fan bases in one city
Play 33CFBFCS Playoffs & Nashville
- Screens and targeting
- Campus towns of playoff teams; Nashville title week
- Timing
- Nov 28 → Jan 11
- Thu Jan 14 · Fri Jan 15Play 31CollegePostseason
CFP semifinals: Orange, Sugar
Miami Gardens; New Orleans · Semifinal host cities
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Jan 16-18 (Mon Jan 18 = MLK Day) · Jan 23-24 · Jan 31Play 8NFLPostseason
Wild Card · Divisional · Conference Championships
DMAs with teams still alive · Heavy-up only in DMAs with teams still alive
Play 8NFLPlayoff Push
- Screens and targeting
- DMA heavy-up in markets with teams alive; score-agnostic city creative swapped by outcome (“Big weekend, Buffalo”); no team names, nicknames, players or team color schemes
- Timing
- Jan 16-31
- Mon Jan 25Play 31CollegePostseason
National championship, first ever in Las Vegas (Allegiant)
Las Vegas · Title-game week in Las Vegas
Play 31CFBRoad to Las Vegas (CFP)
- Screens and targeting
- First-round campus rings on 1-2 weeks’ notice → quarterfinal/semifinal cities → Las Vegas title week (stadium, airport, Strip)
- Timing
- Dec 18 → Jan 25
- Sat Jan 30 · Thu Feb 4 · Wed Feb 3Play 36CollegeOffseason
Senior Bowl (Mobile) · Shrine Bowl (Arlington) · traditional National Signing Day (low volume; the Dec 2-4 early period is the real signing day)
Mobile; Arlington · All-star week and recruiting
Play 36 · Signing Day & Portal: Calendar rows only; no standalone flight; fold into play 61 (Dec 2-4, Jan 2-16, Feb 3).
- Feb 1-14Play 9, 10NFLTentpole
Big Game week, Los Angeles (SoFi); game Sun Feb 14, Valentine’s Day, latest ever, on ABC/ESPN
Los Angeles · Party stock-up and a Valentine’s collision nobody has planned for
Play 9NFLBig Game Week (host city)
- Screens and targeting
- SoFi 3 mi, LAX, Santa Monica State Beach (ESPN/ABC week-long set); Opening Night and fan-fest sites once announced (20-30% flex reserve); host-city clean-zone check
- Timing
- Feb 1-14
Play 10NFLBig Game Stock-Up
- Screens and targeting
- National grocery, liquor, c-store in 115+ football blocks
- Timing
- Feb 10-14
Play 9: Big Game Week (host city) → · Play 10: Big Game Stock-Up →
- Mon of game week (TBA; LX pattern Mon Feb 2)Play 9NFLTentpoleTBA
Big Game Opening Night
Los Angeles · First night of a week-long LA crowd
Play 9NFLBig Game Week (host city)
- Screens and targeting
- SoFi 3 mi, LAX, Santa Monica State Beach (ESPN/ABC week-long set); Opening Night and fan-fest sites once announced (20-30% flex reserve); host-city clean-zone check
- Timing
- Feb 1-14
- Tue-Sat of game week (TBA)Play 9NFLTentpoleTBA
Fan fest (Super Bowl Experience) and media center / Radio Row
Los Angeles · Fan-fest foot traffic; national sports media in one building
Play 9NFLBig Game Week (host city)
- Screens and targeting
- SoFi 3 mi, LAX, Santa Monica State Beach (ESPN/ABC week-long set); Opening Night and fan-fest sites once announced (20-30% flex reserve); host-city clean-zone check
- Timing
- Feb 1-14
- Thu of game week (TBA)Play 40NFLTentpoleTBA
NFL Honors, Netflix-exclusive
Los Angeles · Tune-in; awards-night bars
Play 40AllStreaming Tune-In
- Screens and targeting
- Transit, bars, apartment/office screens with “where to watch” creative 3h before kickoff
- Timing
- Before exclusive streaming games (Netflix ×5 incl. Thanksgiving Eve & Christmas, Prime TNF/Black Friday/Christmas Eve, Peacock Week 17 Saturday), NFL Honors on Netflix, Big Game on ABC/ESPN + ESPN Unlimited
- Sat Feb 27, 2027Play 32, 52CollegeHBCUTentpole
HBCU Legacy Bowl and HBCU career fair
Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta · Showcase plus a large career fair
Play 32CFBHBCU Classics
- Screens and targeting
- 3-mi rings + DMA bars/grocery around each classic; band-culture creative
- Timing
- Sept 26 (Jackson), Oct 3 (DC, Mobile), Oct 24 (Houston), Oct 31 (Birmingham, Philadelphia), Nov 21, Nov 28, Dec 12, Feb 27 (Legacy Bowl, Atlanta)
Play 52CFBAtlanta: College Football’s Capital
- Screens and targeting
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Center Parc 3-mi rings, ATL airport, Midtown/downtown bars and hotels, Athens-Clarke fan blocks
- Timing
- Oct 31, Dec 5, Dec 12, Jan 1, Feb 27
Play 32: HBCU Classics → · Play 52: Atlanta: College Football’s Capital →
- Mar 1-8, 2027Play 49NFLOffseason
Scouting Combine
Indianapolis · Downtown Indy and airport rings
Play 49NFLOffseason Pulse
- Screens and targeting
- Indianapolis downtown + airport (Combine), then team-fan cohorts nationally on free-agency and schedule-release days
- Timing
- Mar 1-11 and mid-May 2027
- Mar 9-11, 2027Play 49NFLOffseason
Free-agency window; league year begins Mar 11, 4pm ET
National · Team-fan news spikes
Play 49NFLOffseason Pulse
- Screens and targeting
- Indianapolis downtown + airport (Combine), then team-fan cohorts nationally on free-agency and schedule-release days
- Timing
- Mar 1-11 and mid-May 2027
- Apr 29-May 1Play 48NFLOffseason
Pro draft, National Mall (2026 Pittsburgh record: 805,000+)
Washington, DC · DC takeover and draft-night bars in all 32 fan markets
Play 48NFLDraft Week DC
- Screens and targeting
- National Mall/Penn Ave 2-mi ring, Union Station, DCA/IAD, downtown hotels; draft-night bars in all 32 fan markets
- Timing
- Apr 26-May 1, 2027
- Mid-May 2027 (TBA)Play 41, 49NFLOffseasonTBA
Schedule release
National · Season-ticket and travel on-sale moment
Play 41AllSeason-Ticket & Renewal
- Screens and targeting
- Arena/stadium radius + commuter corridors, game-by-game flighting; renewals in fall/winter
- Timing
- Sept-Mar
Play 49NFLOffseason Pulse
- Screens and targeting
- Indianapolis downtown + airport (Combine), then team-fan cohorts nationally on free-agency and schedule-release days
- Timing
- Mar 1-11 and mid-May 2027
Play 41: Season-Ticket & Renewal → · Play 49: Offseason Pulse →
- Early Aug 2027 (TBA)Play 51NFLOffseasonTBA
Hall of Fame Game (Canton) and preseason; fantasy draft season
Canton; national · Season-long flights start
Play 51NFLCamp, Canton & Draft-Party Season
- Screens and targeting
- Cleveland-Akron (Canton) DMA around the Hall of Fame Game; bars and gyms in 115+ blocks for fantasy draft parties
- Timing
- Late Jul-early Sept 2027
- 2027 seasonPlay 4NFLInternationalTBA
Up to 10 international games; teams can no longer protect home games from moving abroad
International · More breakfast-football Sundays and “no stadium” home weekends
Play 4NFLBreakfast Football
- Screens and targeting
- QSR/coffee, gas pumps, gyms; national + the two teams’ home DMAs
- Timing
- ET/CT markets 8-11:30am local; MT/PT markets 5:30-9am local (gas + coffee weighted); the two teams’ home DMAs at 1.5×; Oct 4, 11, 18, 25, Nov 8, Nov 15
Not on the 2026 schedule (so you don’t plan for them)
- Bedlam: no game scheduled in 2026.
- Oregon-Oregon State: resumes 2027.
- Backyard Brawl: resumes 2033.
- Already played: Border War (September), Apple Cup (Sept 6).
- The Circle City Classic became a high-school showcase.
How to use this calendar
Football season is a string of dated moments, and each one moves fans to different screens. A 9:30am game from London opens a coffee-and-gas window that doesn’t exist on a normal Sunday. A rivalry weekend pulls half a state into one college town. A holiday doubleheader moves the watch party from the bar to the kitchen, and the stock-up run moves with it.
This calendar lists those moments for the 2026-27 pro and college seasons, HBCU classics and FCS dates included, so a plan can be built around the real schedule instead of a flat weekly average. Each row has the date, what happens, where, and why an advertiser should care. Open a row to see the play: the screens, the targeting and the timing. Where a sample plan already exists, the row links to its live map and proposal on client-map.media-dooh.com.
Filter by league (NFL, college, HBCU or FCS), by moment type or by month. Past dates hide automatically. Switch on “Show recaps” if you want them back.
Download every date
The download drops every row into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar as an all-day event, with the league, location, why it matters and the matching plays. Planners use it to set creative deadlines and flight starts a week or two ahead of each moment, which is usually when approvals need to be locked.
Rows marked TBA don’t have a confirmed date yet. Rows marked Likely are predictions based on past patterns, not announcements. The download keeps both labels. Check back before you commit budget to either.
Why the schedule beats the season average
The average pro game drew 18.7 million viewers in the 2025 regular season. The big days are much bigger. The three Thanksgiving games averaged a record 44.7 million, and last February’s Big Game drew 125.6 million. Around 13% of pro football viewing happens out of home on average, and 30-40% for some games (Nielsen). On the peak days, bar crowds, store traffic and highway traffic all spike at once. A plan spread evenly over twenty weeks under-spends exactly those days.
College is even more date-driven because it’s regional. A home game, a rivalry or a College GameDay visit can double or triple a college town’s weekend population. Fans travel about 991 miles a year to games and 57% stay overnight, so hotels, interstates, gas stations and grocery stores near the stadium all feel it. The right plan heavies up in that market that weekend and pulls back when the team is on the road.
The pro season at a glance
There are more international games than ever this year. Games from London, Paris, Madrid and Munich kick off at 9:30am ET, so several Sundays get a breakfast-football daypart. Mexico City hosts a Sunday night game. Then comes the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, the Thanksgiving triple-header, a Black Friday game, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and Saturday doubleheaders once college wraps.
The playoffs run from Wild Card weekend (Jan 16-18, including MLK Day) through the Conference Championships on Jan 31. The Big Game is in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb 14, 2027, the first one on Valentine’s Day. The offseason keeps going: the Combine in Indianapolis, free agency, the draft on the National Mall in Washington, schedule release in May and fantasy draft season in August.
Pro plans follow the real schedule. Stadium rings run only on home weekends, team-fan segments pause during bye weeks, and a primetime reserve moves into flexed games. The 2026 flex rules: Sunday Night can be flexed twice in Weeks 5-10 and as needed in Weeks 11-17 (12 days’ notice; 6 days in Weeks 14-17). Monday Night can be flexed in Weeks 12-17. Thursday Night can be flexed in Weeks 13-17 (21 days’ notice). Week 18: no dates or times until after Week 17; usually two Saturday standalone games.
The college season at a glance
October brings homecoming to most campuses and some of the year’s biggest neutral-site games, including the Red River Rivalry at the State Fair of Texas and Florida-Georgia, played in Atlanta this year. Rivalry week lands on Black Friday and the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Conference championships run Dec 4-5 across five host cities, and CFP Selection Day is Dec 6.
Army-Navy, the Heisman ceremony, the Celebration Bowl and FCS quarterfinals all land on the weekend of Dec 12. Bowl season runs Dec 15 to Jan 2, with 41 bowls in 30 cities. The CFP first round is played on campus Dec 18-19, with only one to two weeks’ notice of hosts. Quarterfinals and semifinals follow, and the national championship is in Las Vegas on Jan 25, the first ever held there. The FCS title game is Jan 11 in Nashville.
HBCU classics run all season, from the State Fair Classic and Boombox Classic in September through the Magic City Classic, the Florida Classic, the Bayou Classic and the Celebration Bowl, and on to the HBCU Legacy Bowl in Atlanta in February. Several draw 55,000+ and fill their host cities for the whole weekend.
A few traditional games aren’t played in 2026. They’re listed under the calendar so nobody builds a flight around a game that isn’t happening.
Turning a date into a plan
Every row maps to plays, and every play names the screens, targeting and timing. Start with the moment and work outward. Which venues do fans pass through before, during and after it? Which markets matter? Which census blocks index highest for the right fan segment?
For a stock-up, that’s grocery and liquor. For the drive in, it’s gas and roadside. The watch party means bars and restaurants, and the ride home means rideshare.
Plans are built in the Goldfish planner, usually within one business day, and shared as a live map and proposal on client-map.media-dooh.com. Run them through deal IDs in your own DSP, or fully managed. Measurement covers proof-of-play reporting per tactic, geo holdout tests and an independent brand lift study on request.
Creative stays generic: no league, team, school or conference marks without a license, and no team color schemes. Pre-built city and moment versions (“game day,” “Saturday,” “the Big Game”) swap by market within hours, which is how one plan covers a whole season of dates.
Next: browse the football playbooks or start from a stadium in the Stadium Explorer.
Compliance & creative guardrailsThe rules, so your legal team doesn't have to go find them
- League and team marks
- Only official sponsors may use league or team names, logos, uniforms, player likenesses, “Super Bowl®” or “Super Sunday®.” Use “the Big Game,” “game day,” “football season” and city names. No “congratulations” or “good luck” ads aimed at teams. Outcome-based creative is score-agnostic and city-level only. No tickets in sweepstakes.
- College marks
- School names that imply affiliation, logos, mascots and conference, NCAA or CFP marks all need a license. Use “Saturday,” “rivalry weekend” and Goldfish or advertiser brand colors. NIL covers the athlete, not the uniform.
- Alcohol
- Industry codes require 73.6% (beer), 73.7% (wine) and 73.8% (spirits) of the audience to be 21+. That means 21+ venues, off campus, following state distance-from-school rules.
- Team colors
- Never combine a team color scheme with city and football imagery. That's a trade-dress risk even without logos (LSU v. Smack Apparel). Use Goldfish or advertiser brand colors.
- Prediction markets (sports event contracts)
- Treated like sportsbooks: 21+ venues, no campus or campus-adjacent screens, no college-athlete likeness and no league, team or “Big Game” references. Excluded in any state with active enforcement, currently including CT (which ordered nine platforms to halt advertising on Sept 16, 2026), NV, MI and UT, plus other orders and injunctions, re-checked weekly. The NFL bars prediction-market ads from its broadcasts, and the NCAA has asked the CFTC to halt college contracts. Legal review before every flight.
- Clean zones
- Host cities often set up temporary commercial-sign “clean zones” around major events (New Orleans ran a nine-day zone for the 2025 Big Game). Before Big Game week in LA/Inglewood and the Jan 25 title game in Las Vegas, we check for any ordinance and keep creative on permanent, permitted digital screens.
- Sportsbooks
- 31 states + DC have legal online betting (verified before launch). Wisconsin legalized tribal mobile betting in Apr 2026 but isn't live, so no app promotion there until launch. No ads in AL, AK, CA, GA, HI, ID, MN, OK, SC, TX or UT. In retail-only states (MS, MT, NE, NM, ND, SD, WA), don't promote apps. AGA code: 73.6%+ of the audience 21+, no campuses, no college partnerships or college-athlete NIL, and no “risk-free.” College player props are banned in 13-15 states.
- This page
- Uses “NFL” and team and school names only as factual descriptors. No logos, no team photos. Goldfish Ads is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the NFL, NCAA, any conference, bowl or team. All trademarks belong to their owners.
- How we plan
- Proof-of-play reporting per tactic. Brand lift is measured with an independent brand lift study. Maps and proposals live only on client-map.media-dooh.com.
Goldfish Ads is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the NFL, NCAA, any conference, bowl or team. All trademarks belong to their owners.
Get your football-season plan: map, screens and flight, in one business day
What happens after you click
- 01
Tell us the moment. Markets, teams or conferences, dates. Two minutes.
- 02
Get the plan in one business day. A live map of the screens, the venue mix and the flight, shared on client-map.media-dooh.com, like the 11 sample plans on this page.
- 03
Run it your way. Deal IDs in your own DSP, or fully managed. Programmatic creative swaps within hours. Proof of play per tactic.
- 100,000+ DOOH plans built
- Plans used by WPP, Omnicom and Publicis agency teams
- Plans in one business day
- Run in your own DSP or fully managed
- Bowl game plan run December 2025
14 days to “Super Saturday”: Georgia at Alabama; Red River; USC at Penn State White Out (NBC, 7:30pm ET). To be live for it, send the brief by Wed Sep 30.
Rather talk? Book 20 minutes, email info@goldfishads.com, or call Andrew at 646-220-5873.
Questions
- How many dates are on this calendar?
- 57 pro, college, HBCU and FCS dates for 2026-27. When a college row and an HBCU row fall on the same date, they’re shown once.
- What do TBA and Likely mean?
- TBA means the date or site isn’t announced yet. Likely means it’s a prediction, and we never present it as fact.
- Can I add these dates to my own calendar?
- Yes. The .ics download has every date on this page, with the TBA and Likely labels kept in the event names.
Send us a brand and a market. We'll send back a football plan.
Most plans come back within one business day, with a live map and a proposal.
Goldfish Ads is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the NFL, NCAA, any conference, bowl or team. All trademarks belong to their owners.