Everyone loves the Bahamas Bowl.
Well, not everyone.
Three weeks after Matt Brown reported that the annual bowl with MAC and Conference USA tie-ins was in “real trouble,” the Bahamas Bowl was notably absent from Bowl Season’s 2025 bowl lineup.
hearing the Bahamas bowl is in real trouble, for folks who enjoy bowl games in the Bahamas
— Matt Brown (@mattbrown.bsky.social) May 14, 2025 at 12:58 PM
So it officially isn’t happening this year. It wasn’t played in 2023, either. That was because of renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, which forced the then-Famous Toastery Bowl to be played at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, instead.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year🏈
The official 2025-26 #bowlseason schedule is here❗️
Which Bowl Game are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nzpPt9ZdFL
— Bowl Season (@BowlSeason) June 5, 2025
It returned last season, with Buffalo handing Liberty a 26-7 loss. And became social media fodder because the Flames’ head coach, Jamey Chadwell, was seen sporting a t-shirt that read “Jesus won,” while his team was getting their teeth kicked in.
That’s bowl season at its weird, wonderful best. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a January football trip to the Bahamas?
Apparently, the powers that be.
According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, the bowl won’t be held in the Bahamas this year either, marking the second time in three years the game has left the islands. The 2025 version will reportedly be played somewhere, but where exactly is still to be determined. And McMurphy didn’t clarify whether this is another venue issue or the beginning of the end for the Bahamas Bowl altogether, something Brown strongly hinted at weeks ago.
Bahamas Bowl will not be held in Bahamas this year, sources said. The bowl will be played this season at a site to be determined. This is 2nd time in 3 years the bowl was moved. In 2023, Bahamas Bowl was played in Charlotte when the stadium in Bahamas was not available pic.twitter.com/tYsuURS34R
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 4, 2025
ESPN put out a vague statement saying the Bahamas Bowl “will not be played” this season, but that the MAC and C-USA tie-ins will be handled through other ESPN-owned games. So yes, your favorite 6–6 team will still get a bowl trip. Just not to a beach.
Note from ESPN on the Bahamas Bowl:
“While the Bahamas Bowl will not be played during 2025-26 Bowl Season, league commitments will be fulfilled through other ESPN owned-and-operated games.”
— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) June 5, 2025
It’s a bummer, sure. The Bahamas Bowl was always a little weird, a little offbeat, but it was a fitting stage for one last chaotic showdown between two programs who spent the season in the ESPN+ window.
But weird is good. Weird is bowl season.
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
