Bowl officials met with Saudi Arabia to discuss moving game to Middle East, per report
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Officials from the Holiday Bowl met in Saudi Arabia earlier this year to discuss moving the annual bowl matchup to the Middle East, according to a report from On3’s Brett McMurphy.
Those meetings did not lead to anything concrete, according to the report. The ACC was not interested in moving the game out of San Diego, so nothing came from the discussions, according to the report.
The Holiday Bowl has been played in San Diego since its inception in 1978. It has historically been played between teams from the ACC and Pac-12.
While the prospect of a bowl game played outside the United States isn’t unprecedented, the push to host a postseason game represents the latest move from the Saudis to get in on the business of major college football.
According to a report earlier this week, North Carolina general manager Michael Lombardi made a “fundraising trip” to Saudi Arabia prior to the start of the 2025 season to discuss partnership opportunities between UNC and “high-ranking government officials.” That trip was paid for by the Saudis, according to the report.
The NCAA allows member schools to play 1 regular-season game in a foreign country every 4 years. In recent years, a Week 0 showcase game in Dublin, Ireland, has become popular. NCAA games have also been played in Mexico City, Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan.
LSU played in the first official Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba, in 1907. Auburn played in the game in 1937.
The Bahamas Bowl has also been played between MAC and CUSA schools every year since 2014.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
