when does the college football championship start

The College Football Playoff National Championship for this season kicks off on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Key details

• Date: Monday, January 19, 2026.

• Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m. ET (some outlets list pregame shows starting around 5–7:00 p.m. ET).

• Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

• TV/streaming: ESPN on TV, with streaming available via the ESPN app / ESPN+.

Clarifying “when does it start?”

If you just care about when the actual game starts, plan on 7:30 p.m. ET for kickoff.

If you want all the build‑up, ESPN’s pregame coverage (including “College GameDay”-style shows) begins earlier in the evening around 5 p.m. ET.

In practical terms: tune in by 7:30 p.m. ET on January 19, 2026, and you’ll catch the start of the college football championship game.

TL;DR: The college football championship starts the night of January 19, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.