Atlanta’s long run as the SEC championship capital now has a finish line.
After more than 30 years of December football in the city, college football leaders on Monday approved a playoff expansion from 12 teams to 24 next season, a move that will bring an end to the Power Four conference championship games, including the SEC Championship Game. ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add 11 playoff games as part of the change.
That means the 2026 SEC Championship Game will be the last one.
For Atlanta, the news closes a chapter that started with the SEC’s title game debut in 1992 and grew into one of the sport’s most reliable stages for heavyweight matchups and wild finishes. The game first lived at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, before moving to Atlanta in 1994. The city has hosted it every year since, with the switch to Mercedes-Benz Stadium coming in 2017.
The SEC Championship Game’s history in Atlanta is packed with moments that stuck. Florida’s 24-23 win over previously unbeaten Alabama in the Georgia Dome’s first year as host set the tone early. Since then, the city has seen LSU derail Tennessee’s title hopes in 2001, Florida and Alabama trade wins in 2008 and 2009, Alabama edge Georgia 32-28 in 2012, and Georgia beat Auburn 28-7 in the first SEC title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2017.
There have been plenty more. Jalen Hurts sparked Alabama’s comeback against Georgia in 2018 after Tua Tagovailoa was injured.
Joe Burrow and LSU rolled past Georgia 37-10 in 2019 on the way to an undefeated national championship season. Alabama snapped Georgia’s 29-game winning streak with a 27-24 win in 2023, the last SEC title game between East and West division winners.
Georgia then beat Texas 22-19 in overtime in 2024, before turning around and beating Alabama 28-7 in 2025 behind three touchdown passes from Gunner Stockton.
The new playoff format will give automatic bids to five teams: the champions of the four major conferences and the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Six. A selection panel will fill the other 19 spots, and the top eight seeds will get first-round byes. The first two rounds will be played on campus, starting the second weekend in December.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the change is about more than just size.
“Expanding the College Football Playoff is about more than adding teams,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “It is about creating meaningful opportunities for student-athletes and universities, rewarding competitive excellence and challenging schedules, increasing fan access to championship competition by expanding the number of on-campus playoff games, and strengthening the importance of the entire season from opening weekend through the national championship.”
David Epps, president and CEO of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, said Atlanta will still matter in the postseason picture.
“This is an extraordinary day for college football,” Epps said. “The arrival of the 24-team Playoff is a significant step forward for our sport, creating more opportunity than ever before.
“More teams, more players, more fan bases and greater access to the playoff are all positive things for college football,” Epps said. “For us, our focus remains on delivering exceptional quarterfinal and semifinal games and making sure Atlanta continues to play a major role in determining college football’s national champion.”
The final SEC Championship Game in Atlanta is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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