College football in the Middle East? 2025 Holiday Bowl almost moved to Saudi Arabia

College football in the Middle East? 2025 Holiday Bowl almost moved to Saudi Arabia originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

College football sure loves to dip its toe into international waters these days. Seemingly every season, more international football games are posted on the schedule. The NFL's international slate is likely far more diverse and numerous than you realize, with seven pro games leaving the United States to put the game on full display for non-American markets speckled across the globe in spots like Sao Paolo, London, Dublin, Madrid, and Berlin.

Not exactly football towns, but everyone knows why the league is doing this. More markets means more viewers, more fans, and more revenue for an organization that can never get enough. But the college football community has been a bit more stand-offish about spreading their level of football overseas.

For the second straight season, college football games were played in Dublin, Ireland this year. First it was an ACC clash between Georgia Tech and Florida State, then it was a Big 12 battle between Kansas State and Iowa State. Opinions very wildly on the value of these games for the health of the game, but when word came out that the 2025 Holiday Bowl was nearly moved to Saudi Arabia, it was time to question if these international games were being scheduled for the right reasons.

"Holiday Bowl officials flew to Saudi Arabia this spring and met with Saudi officials about playing this year's bowl game in the Middle East," reported On3 Sports. "However, ACC athletic directors discussed the possibility and said they did not have any interest."

A game hosted so far from home, it's hard to imagine fan turnout and in-person support would be comparable to an American-based contest. Would Saudi money likely offset costs for the participants? Perhaps, but the spirit of competition and fan inclusion are key aspect of college football. Taking those off the list of priorities could lead to an empty football game in the postseason, and keeping the cleats on American soil was likely a good decision.

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