Sports News

Plano-based Cinemark opens its theaters for college football playoffs

Now this is the way to watch football.

Photo courtesy of Cinemark

The Cinemark movie theater chain is hosting an unusual series aimed at college football fans. Plano-based Cinemark Holdings, Inc. has teamed up with ESPN to bring the college football playoffs to the big screen.

A select number of Cinemark theaters will host screenings of three playoff games, as follows:

Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington
Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens
National Championship, the biggest game of all, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis

Cinemark senior VP Justin McDaniel says in a statement that it'll be a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will make viewers feel like they are part of the on-field action.

"We are thrilled to offer an incredible opportunity for college football fans to gather and cheer on their teams in our immersive auditoriums with larger-than-life screens and surround sound," McDaniel says.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, December 31, at 4:30 pm: No. 1 Alabama will square off against No. 4 Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, December 31, at 8:30 pm: No. 2 Michigan will take on No. 3 Georgia at the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
Monday, January 10, at 9 pm: The winners of the two games will go head-to-head for the College Football Playoff National Championship

All showings will include ESPN’s live pre-game studio programming.

The local markets for all four CFP semifinalists will feature theatres providing this unique experience. The full list of markets includes:

Huntsville, Alabama
Los Angeles
Sacramento
San Francisco
Colorado Springs
Hartford, Connecticut
Jacksonville, Florida
Atlanta
Baton Rouge
Baltimore
Detroit
Jackson, Mississippi
Albuquerque
Las Vegas
New York
Rochester
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dayton
Oklahoma City
Eugene, Oregon
Austin
Dallas
El Paso
Houston
Salt Lake City
Seattle

A $10 concessions package allows attendees to reserve their seat. Fans will score special prizes after each contest based on the winning team.

For information or to buy tickets, visit Cinemark.com/CFP or the Cinemark mobile app.

Fortunately, these games are not among those that have been canceled due to a COVID-19 surge — specifically, players who've gotten COVID-19, which prevented the teams from having enough players. So far, five bowl games that were to have been played this week have been impacted.

The full schedule of games is listed on NCAA.com.

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Soccer News

New tickets for 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Arlington go on sale

Photo courtesy of FIFA

More tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will go on sale on Tuesday, April 22.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just 50 days away, new ticket inventory will be made available to the general public, including the nine matches scheduled at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

According to a release, the new bloc of tickets will be available at FIFA.com/tickets from starting at 10 am CST on Wednesday, April 22.

Matches at AT&T Stadium will start with Netherlands vs. Japan on June 14, followed by England vs. Croatia on June 17, Argentina vs. Austria on June 22, Japan vs. Sweden on June 25, and Jordan vs. Argentina on June 27.

The stadium will also host two Round of 32 matches, one Round of 16 match, and one Semi-Final match.

At the start of sale, tickets will be available across categories 1 to 3 and the front-row seat categories, depending on the match.

The ticket drop is part of the ongoing Last-Minute Sales Phase, which runs until the end of the tournament and allows the general public to purchase tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

Along with this set of tickets, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final on Sunday, July 19, subject to availability.

FIFA expects the ticket drop to draw high traffic, so fans can expect digital queues, which allow FIFA to improve the user experience once fans are admitted.

Users will be able to see the matches and categories for which tickets are available, select specific seats, and proceed with their purchase, receiving confirmation once payment is completed.

The ticket drop is also a reminder that FIFA.com/tickets is the official and preferred source for FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets, and fans should check the site regularly for additional tickets that are made available on an ongoing basis.

Additionally, the official Resale/Exchange Marketplace is also available at FIFA.com/tickets for eligible ticket holders.

The platform enables fans who can no longer attend matches to sell their tickets to other fans in a secure and authorized environment, safeguarding against invalid or unauthorized resale.

To date, more than 5 million tickets have already been sold for 2026 FIFA World Cup, which would surpass the cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million set at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

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