Popeyes Bahamas Bowl 2016

NASSAU, Bahamas – The third annual Popeyes Bahamas Bowl has been set for Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 at 1 p.m. ET.

The game, held in Nassau’s 15,000-seat Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, will be broadcast in the United States for the third consecutive year by ESPN.

The game was played on December 24 during the first two editions in 2014 and 2015, but now falls on a long holiday weekend in the Bahamas, allowing for an early Friday afternoon game this year.

“With the move of the game to Friday, Dec. 23, we look forward to seeing more Bahamians and families attend the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl as schools are out of session and many workers will have the day off prior to the holiday weekend,” said Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Executive Director Richard Giannini. “We have had a successful first two years with a pair of tremendous football games and a yearly showcase of the Bahamas to US television audiences, thanks to the assistance of Popeyes, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Atlantis. We know that we will build on that success in 2016.”

Crowds of over 13,000 in Nassau have watched the only current bowl game played outside of the United States. The inaugural game in 2014 saw WKU beat Central Michigan 49-48 in a memorable offensive shootout. Last year, Western Michigan beat Middle Tennessee 45-31.

The 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will feature teams from two of three conferences involved in the bowl: the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.

For more information on the 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, visit PopeyesBahamasBowl.com. The game is one of 13 postseason bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN.