Who is the home team for the CFP National Championship 2025? Looking at Ohio State-Notre Dame title game

The CFP National Championship Game is set with the Ohio State Buckeyes battling the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan. 20 for the national title. The Buckeyes made the game after beating Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl, while Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24 in a dramatic Orange Bowl.

The game will take place at Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, but who is considered the home team for the national championship game? And what advantages, if any, come from that determination?

Who is the home team for the CFP National Championship 2025?

The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the home team for the championship game, as they were seeded higher than the No. 8 Buckeyes. That means the Irish will be staying at the home sideline, the one the Atlanta Falcons stay in for NFL games, and will determine the sections where fans of both teams can purchase tickets.

This also means Notre Dame will decide which uniform they will wear for the game (contrary to the Super Bowl, there doesn’t appear to be a white jersey superstition). Ohio State, on the other hand, will get to call the coin toss before the game and in overtime, if they make it that far.

Why is the CFP National Championship 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta?

Ohio State is looking for their first national title since 2015. - Source: Imagn

Atlanta is part of the rotation for the CFP National Championship Game. The venue for the game changes each year as cities and stadiums bid to host the game, a process similar to how the Super Bowl venue is determined.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the first building to host two editions of the title game in the CFP era. It also hosted the 2017 edition between Alabama and Georgia.

While Atlanta also hosts the Peach Bowl, the venue doesn’t always have to host other CFP games. Last year, for example, the championship game was held at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

As for the next editions, the 2026 CFP National Championship Game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while the 2027 game will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Who won the CFP National Championship 2024?

After several years of coming up short, the Michigan Wolverines won the national title last year. The top-ranked Wolverines beat the No. 2 Washington Huskies 34-14 in front of more than 72,800 fans in Houston.

It was Michigan’s first championship since they shared the title with Nebraska in 1997. It also snapped an eight-year championship drought for the Big Ten.