The American Conference’s championship game will once again be televised on ABC, marking the twelfth consecutive year that the network has carried the event.
A Milestone in Television History
Scheduled for Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, the contest will be played at the home stadium of the conference’s regular‑season champion, adding extra stakes for the teams involved.
The broadcast continues a run that began in 2015, when ABC first secured the rights to the championship, and the first eleven games of the championship have collectively drawn more than 29 million viewers.
Last season Tulane captured the crown, defeating North Texas 34‑21 at Yulman Stadium, finishing the year 11‑3 and earning the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff.
A New Era of Non‑Conference Success
The conference’s teams have also made a splash in bowl play, posting victories over opponents from the Big 12, ACC, Conference USA and the Mountain West, and it was one of only four leagues to see three of its members finish with eleven wins.
This season the league notched non‑conference wins against powerhouses from the Big 12, Big 10, SEC and ACC, underscoring its growing competitiveness on the national stage.
With ABC’s continued partnership and the conference’s expanding footprint, the 2026 championship promises to add another chapter to a story that has become a staple of early‑December college football.