The Division III football championship game returns to Canton, Ohio, and to Sunday night on ESPN. d3photography.com file photo

For the second year in a row, the Division III football championship game will be played on a Sunday night, and on ESPN's primary network. 

The championship game date and time is determined primarily by television, with input from the NCAA. In addition, the host stadium and stadium authority had told the NCAA that it did not want to play a night game in January, but that is indeed what we'll have when Stagg Bowl LII comes to Canton, Ohio, and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET (or some set number of minutes after the top of the hour), on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.

• Division III football playoff history

The Stagg Bowl was played in Canton once before, in 2021, and will return to Canton in January 2028, for the championship of the 2027 season. In December 2021, an announced crowd of 1,830 saw Mary Hardin-Baylor defeat North Central 57-24.

Next season's Stagg Bowl will be played in January 2027 in Salem Stadium in Salem, Virginia, as the game returns to its longtime home.