UCLA will play 2026 home games at Rose Bowl, potential move to SoFi Stadium delayed
UCLA explored plans to move home games to SoFi Stadium, but will remain at the storied Rose Bowl for at least the 2026 season
By
Robby Kalland
Feb 21, 2026
at
2:37 pm ET
•
1 min read
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After exploring options to move home football games to SoFi Stadium, UCLA will remain at the iconic Rose Bowl for the 2026 season.
“UCLA will play the upcoming football season at the Rose Bowl,” reported UCLA vice chancellor for communications Mary Osako in a statement. “We know how much game day means to Bruins — to our students, alumni and fans who plan their autumn around Saturdays together. Our priority is delivering a strong season experience for our student-athletes and our community, and we have great momentum in our football program. During this unprecedented time in college athletics, UCLA will always be guided by what’s best for our student-athletes and the Bruin community.”
The decision to remain at the Rose Bowl comes a little over three months after the Rose Bowl and city of Pasadena filed a lawsuit against UCLA last October after plans for the Bruins to move home games out of the storied stadium became public. UCLA’s current lease with the Rose Bowl runs through 2044, and the lawsuit alleged the Bruins moving home games to Inglewood would cause more than a billion dollars in damages to the city of Pasadena and its residents.
Moving to the newer SoFi Stadium presented an appealing opportunity for UCLA. Not only is it a newer stadium with more amenities, but it’s also 13 miles closer to UCLA’s campus — as attendance can be an issue at times for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl. However, with the pending lawsuit over their lease agreement with the Rose Bowl and their effort to build positive momentum within the program after hiring James Madison coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins opted to play in Pasadena without the dispute hanging over the preparations for the 2026 season.
The statement does not note what UCLA’s long-term future plans will be, and it certainly seems as though this saga will continue into 2027 as the Bruins look to resolve the dispute over their lease with the Rose Bowl and explore their options for moving home games to the Inglewood home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Rams.
