where was the cotton bowl played

The Cotton Bowl Classic, a prominent college football bowl game, has a storied history tied to iconic venues in Texas. Traditionally, it was played at the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas.

Traditional Venue

The Cotton Bowl stadium, located in Dallas, Texas at Fair Park, hosted the game from its inception in 1937 until 2009. This historic outdoor stadium, opened in 1930, sits on the State Fair of Texas grounds and remains famous for events like the Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma.

Current Location

Since 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic has been held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, about 20 miles from Dallas. This state-of-the-art venue, home to the Dallas Cowboys, offers a capacity over 80,000 and has hosted recent editions, including notable matchups like Texas vs. Ohio State in CFP semifinals.

Recent Context

As of late 2025 discussions, fans still reminisce about the old Dallas stadium's atmosphere amid harsh weather stories from past games there. The shift to Arlington improved logistics but sparked nostalgia in forums.

TL;DR: Primarily AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX now; originally Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX.

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