College bowl games are flirting with Saudi money

It’s not just Mike Lombardi and UNC who are flirting with the Middle East. 

It’s college bowl games, too.

Documents obtained by FOIAball reveal that the Holiday Bowl proposed relocating its 2025 game to Saudi Arabia. 

While the proposal did not go forward, the ACC brought the offer to member schools, polling athletic directors on their feelings. It also shared a study on both safety concerns and the reputational risk of hosting the game in Jeddah. 

Saudi money in sports has been a divisive topic in the past several years, with the Middle East nation using its sovereign wealth fund to elbow its way in.

The LIV Golf League poached top PGA players and created a schism in the sport when it offered stars like Bryson DeChambeau upward of $100 million.

In soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo recently took $700 million to resign with Saudi club Al Nassr. 

Outside of athletics, a number of famous comedians were sharply criticized for their recent decisions to perform at a comedy festival in Riyadh. 

The proposal to move this year’s Holiday Bowl—which typically pits the ACC versus former members of the PAC-12—to Saudi Arabia was first floated in the spring by the Holiday Bowl to the ACC.

An email from the ACC at the beginning of June with an agenda for a conference call the next day included the item: "Holiday Bowl Location Change Proposal."

“Topic 6b: As briefly discussed at the Spring Meeting, the Holiday Bowl has proposed relocating their 2025 game to Saudi Arabia. Find additional information from the Holiday Bowl regarding the potential relocation of the 2025 game. You will find in the enclosed specific responses to most initial questions.”

The links to the proposal were not part of the documents included in the records obtained by FOIAball (but we’re asking for them from schools). 

Several days later, the relocation was included in a poll sent to ADs to gauge their feelings on the matter. 

It asked, “Does your institution support the Holiday Bowl's proposal to relocate the 2025 game to Saudi Arabia as outlined in their presentation?” 

At the bottom of the question, it noted that the move would represent a “positive” financial impact of $5-6 million.

The options were:

The next month, in advance of another call, the ACC provided an update.

Rather than outright reject the possibility of playing a game in Saudi Arabia, for reasons many would consider reasonable, it mentioned that ADs had put forth another set of questions. 

“Holiday Bowl Relocation Evaluation. The Conference office has shared with the Holiday Bowl the five (5) questions further posed during the most recent AD call and expects a response from the Holiday Bowl shortly. “

It said the conference received a report about the feasibility of playing the game in Jeddah. It is unclear if the Holiday Bowl or the ACC commissioned it. 

“While nuanced questions remain, the Conference has received a report from a U.S.-based risk advisory firm specializing in high-stakes environments.”

It goes on to say that Jeddah was considered safe, but that plenty of concerns were present.

“The report notes that while crime in Jeddah is low, the U.S. Department of State currently designates Saudi Arabia as a Level 2 advisory—Exercise Increased Caution—due to threats of terrorism and regional conflict. The report also outlines significant cultural, legal, and reputational risks that would require careful planning. The findings—along with input from the Holiday Bowl Executive Director—will be organized and shared via conference call if enough institutions remain interested.”

In August, the relocation was on the agenda again, titled “Holiday Bowl relocation- Final Opportunity.” 

The summary of the call the next day asked ADs for more feedback.

It mentioned that even if this proposal didn’t go through, the potential for a game in Saudi Arabia was on the table in the future.

“Connect on campus as you deem necessary, including with your president … let me know your position by the end of the next week. If enough ADs support, after this final round of feedback, the matter will then be elevated to the Board. If there isn’t support, this topic will be punted for potential discussions around a future game.”

Whether the decision made it all the way up to the Board is unknown. 

On Aug. 28, the Holiday Bowl sent a press release announcing that the game would be held in San Diego on Jan. 2, 2026. 

While it won't be the first time the Holiday Bowl will be played in a foreign country, the release did boast that it’s the first time the game will be played in January. 

“We absolutely love this game date and kickoff time,” Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville said in the release. 

Neville did not say in the statement if he loved the location of the game this year, too. He also did not respond to a request for comment from FOIAball.

However, after FOIAball published its story, On3 reported that officials from the Holiday Bowl flew to Saudi Arabia to discuss moving the game there.

Last year’s Holiday Bowl was a matchup between Syracuse and Washington State, which the Orange won 52-35. 

A lot can change between now and January, but The Athletic’s current projections show that this year's Holiday Bowl would be a match-up between Clemson and Washington.