Wake Forest Football

BOWL CENTRAL

Presented By Pepsi

After a historic regular season that saw first-year Head Coach Jake Dickert earn a program-record eight wins, the Deacs’ bowl destination is set! Wake Forest football will face Mississippi State in the 2026 Dukes Mayo Bowl on Friday, January 2, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Check out the information below for everything you need to know and get ready for the game!

Bowl Seating Chart

Wake Forest's allotment is sold out. All requests previously made through Wake Forest will be fulfilled. Seats will be delivered digitally via Ticketmaster and the Charlotte Sports Foundation on or around December 22. Please click below to purchase tickets through the bowl on Ticketmaster.

Duke's Mayo Bowl Tickets

Purchase Your Parking

Donate Bowl Game Tickets

Donate to Students

Give Wake Forest students the chance to experience the excitement of bowl season firsthand by donating tickets to the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Your generosity helps fill the stands, creates unforgettable memories for our students. Let's bring the spirit of DEACTOWN to Charlotte!

Donate Tickets to Students

Pre-Game Event Information

The Duke's Mayo Bowl Wake Forest Pre-Game Party is currently at capacity. For updates on availability, click below to join the waitlist. Looking for a go-to spot pre-game? Head to Rí Rá Charlotte to kick off your gameday with other Deacon Fans!

Join the Pre-Game Party Waitlist

Travel Information

Hotel Information

The JW Marriott Charlotte is the official hotel for Demon Deacon fans attending the 2026 Duke’s Mayo Bowl, just 4 minutes from Bank of America Stadium. Book your stay using the button below to secure a special nightly rate!

Book Your Hotel Reservation

Deacon Shop

Deacon Shop

The Deacon Shop is coming to Charlotte! Stop by the Deacon Shop (located in the lobby of the Westin Charlotte) from 9 a.m. until kickoff to get your gear for gameday!

Jake Dickert Leading the Way

The Demon Deacons are headed bowling once again — this time under first-year head coach Jake Dickert. In his debut season in Winston-Salem, Dickert has already made history, becoming the first coach in program history to lead Wake Forest to a bowl berth in his inaugural campaign.

Embracing the Built in the Dark ethos, Dickert’s team battled through narrow setbacks early in the season and responded with a dominant October—highlighted by a win at Virginia Tech for the first time since 1983, a road victory at Oregon State in the programs’ first-ever meeting, and a dramatic Homecoming triumph over SMU that snapped the Mustangs’ 20-game regular-season conference winning streak and marked their first ACC loss since joining the league in 2024.

Now, after defeating Virginia the Demon Deacons have secured their eighth bowl appearance in the last 10 seasons and 18th overall. With 11 bowl victories already in program history, Coach Dickert and his team now look to add a new chapter to Wake Forest football’s proud postseason tradition.

Recent Bowl History

2016 Military Bowl - Facing No. 23 Temple, Wake Forest was in search of its first bowl win in nine years. With the help of holding the Owls to -20 rushing yards, the Deacs came away with a 34-26 victory in Annapolis, Md.
2017 Belk Bowl - Trailing 52-48 to Texas A&M with 5:52 left, Wake Forest answered with a 13-play, 69-yard drive, capped off by a 1-yard run by Matt Colburn II to take the lead for good with 2:18 to play in the game. Current LA Rams quarterback John Wolford earned MVP honors with 400 yards passing and four touchdowns.
2018 Birmingham Bowl - With the help of a career-high performance of 171 receiving yards from wide receiver and current New York Giant Alex Bachman, the Deacs pulled out their third consecutive bowl victory, defeating Memphis, 37-34.
2019 New Era Pinstripe Bowl - The game against Michigan State garnered 3.8 million viewers on ESPN, which was the highest national TV viewership of any North Carolina bowl team — outpacing the next closest team by more than 1.7 million viewers.
2020 Duke’s Mayo Bowl - It marked the third time in program history the Demon Deacons played in a bowl game in Charlotte with the others coming in the 2017 Belk Bowl and 2008 Car Care Bowl.
2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl - Sam Hartman earned MVP honors after throwing three touchdown passes in the game for 304 yards. It brought his season total touchdowns to 50 which puts him in elite company among Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks. Deshaun Watson (Clemson) and Lamar Jackson (Louisville) were the only other quarterbacks to have 50 or more touchdowns in a single season.
2022 Gasparilla Bowl - Behind a three-touchdown performance from Sam Hartman as he earned MVP honors, Wake Forest defeated Southeastern Conference representative Missouri 27-17 to win the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The win marked Wake Forest's fifth in a seven-year stretch since the Deacs began the bowl streak from 2016-22.