Football in Arizona

Pro, College, & Arena Football

America's game has a welcomed home in the state of Arizona.

Professional and college teams are making jaw-dropping plays and thrilling sports fans every weekend of every fall in central, northern, and southern Arizona.

Central Arizona is the primary location for fast, electrifying football action every Sunday.

The NFL's Arizona Cardinals compete in the NFC West Division starting in September and go until the beginning of January.

The Cards play eight home games every season at the state-of-the-art University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale – just northwest of Phoenix.

The stadium features a retractable roof and a real grass field grown outdoors, then transferred back indoors using a sliding panel system. The 63,000-capacity stadium is not only home to the Arizona Cardinals, but also hosts national football events, like the Super Bowl and the BCS National Championship game.

In fact, the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship is set to be played at University of Phoenix Stadium. College football fans from all over the nation will flock to Glendale, as the undisputed two best teams will compete for a chance to hoist the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.

Collegiate athletics are no stranger to great football, either. The Arizona State University Sun Devils have represented central Arizona since 1897. The hard-hitting action takes place in downtown Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium. The college football season beings in late August and will continue until December, when the annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is played at Sun Devil Stadium – attracting visitors from all over the country.

South of Tempe along I-10, you'll find the Sun Devil's in-state rivals. The Arizona Wildcats compete in the PAC-12 conference at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, representing Arizona's first university – the University of Arizona – since 1899.

Perhaps the most decorated football team in central Arizona is the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. They play their brand of smash-mouth, high-flying football from March until late August. The four-time national champion Rattlers play all of their home games at Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix.