2026 Army-Navy Game Tickets: Date, Seating Guide, and How to Buy Tickets

Army-Navy Rivalry: 136 Years of America's Game

The 127th Army-Navy Game is confirmed for Saturday, December 12, 2026, with kickoff set for 3:00 PM ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game will air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ with a Paramount+ Premium subscription for fans who cannot attend in person. The previous Army-Navy Game at MetLife Stadium was played on December 11, 2021, and drew 82,282 fans. The 2026 game is presented by USAA.

The Army-Navy Game is more than a football game; it is one of the oldest, most culturally significant rivalries in American sports. The series dates back to November 29, 1890, when Navy defeated Army 24–0 in the first-ever meeting on the plain at West Point. In the 136 years since, the two service academies have met 126 times, with Navy holding a 64–55–7 all-time advantage.

The rivalry transcends win-loss records. Cadets and midshipmen at both academies are preparing for service as officers in the U.S. military, and they play for pride and tradition, including the right to sing their alma mater last. The winning team’s song is sung second, a tradition that carries enormous emotional weight. That context elevates every snap, every tackle, and every fourth-down call into something more meaningful than a typical college football game.

Navy won the most recent meeting, 17–16, on December 13, 2025, in Baltimore, its second straight victory in the series. Army, led by head coach Jeff Monken, now in his 13th season, has won six of the last 10 meetings, including a 21–17 win in 2016 that ended a 14-game Navy winning streak. The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, awarded annually to the service academy (Army, Navy, or Air Force) with the best head-to-head record among the three, adds significance to the rivalry. 

Army-Navy Game Tickets: Where to Buy

The 2026 Army-Navy Game is sold out, according to the official Army-Navy Game FAQ, and Army West Point announced on Sept. 28, 2026, that its ticket allocation had sold out. Army West Point keeps a ticket request list through the Army A Club, but it notes that additional tickets may not become available and that being on the list does not guarantee a purchase. For most fans, the resale market is now the most realistic way to get a seat.

Resale marketplaces let ticket holders list seats they can no longer use, which gives buyers another option as the game gets closer. TicketX is a resale marketplace where fans can browse tickets to live sports and entertainment events, and it operates with no hidden fees. Before you buy on any platform, confirm the section you are getting, how the tickets will be delivered, and what buyer protection is offered. For more on how TicketX works, see Is TicketX Legit?

How to Buy Army-Navy Game Tickets on the Resale Market

Buying through a resale marketplace is straightforward, but the platform you choose matters. Check each marketplace’s buyer protection and delivery method before you buy. Follow these steps:

1. Decide on your budget and preferred seating area. Use the seating guide later in this article to see which sideline each team is on.

2. Review the total price before you pay. Check the full amount shown before you confirm your purchase, and make sure it fits your budget.

3. Verify buyer protection. Before completing a purchase, confirm the platform's guarantee covers invalid or counterfeit tickets, failed delivery, and event cancellation. These protections are your safety net when buying on the secondary market.

4. Complete checkout and confirm delivery method. Tickets are typically delivered digitally. After purchase, you'll receive the tickets as a digital transfer; see the screenshot-only delivery warning below for how tickets for this game are stored. Make sure you understand when delivery will occur. Some sellers transfer immediately, while others transfer closer to the event.

5. Screenshot your order confirmation and save the platform's customer-support contact information. This gives you a reference point if any delivery issue arises before game day.

How to Avoid Fake or Invalid Army-Navy Tickets

High-demand events like the Army-Navy Game attract fraudulent sellers. Protect yourself by recognizing the most common red flags:

Social-media and peer-to-peer sellers. Listings on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, X (Twitter), or Instagram DMs offer zero buyer protection. If the ticket turns out to be invalid or the seller disappears after payment, there is no platform to mediate a refund. This is a high-risk way to buy tickets.

Screenshot-only delivery. A legitimate mobile ticket is transferred directly into your own ticketing account. For the Army-Navy Game, the official FAQ says all tickets will be stored in the Army-Navy Game app, and the official mobile-ticketing guide for the 2025 game said screenshots and printable PDF tickets would not be accepted for entry. If a seller offers only a screenshot or a static PDF of a barcode, treat it as a major warning sign. Screenshots can be duplicated and sold to multiple buyers. The first person to scan the barcode gets in, and everyone else is turned away at the gate.

Too-good-to-be-true pricing. If a listing is priced far below comparable seats in the same section, skepticism is warranted. Scammers use artificially low prices to create urgency and pressure buyers into fast, unprotected transactions.

The safest approach: Buy through an established resale marketplace that provides a buyer guarantee. TicketX’s Buyer Guarantee covers tickets that are fake or invalid or don't arrive in time, and events that are canceled and not rescheduled. Depending on the case, TicketX sends replacement tickets or refunds you. For details, see the Buyer's Guarantee section of the TicketX Help Center.

For more on what “verified” means when you buy resale tickets, see what verified resale tickets mean.

Army-Navy Game Ticket Prices in 2026

Resale prices for the Army-Navy Game vary by section and by how close it is to the December 12 game date. Prices change as sellers adjust their listings, so check current listings for the seats you want before you buy.

What affects the price. Where you sit is the biggest factor, since sections closer to the field or on the sideline are typically priced differently from seats farther back. The side of the stadium, the number of tickets in your group, and the timing of your purchase can also change what you see in the listings.

How to set a budget. Decide how much you are comfortable spending before you start browsing, and compare listings in the section you prefer rather than only looking at the lowest price. If a listing looks far cheaper than similar seats, take that as a reason to look more closely before you buy.

Check the total before you pay. Review the full amount shown at the end of the purchase process, along with the delivery method and the buyer protection offered.

MetLife Stadium Seating Guide for the Army-Navy Game

Choosing the right section at MetLife Stadium starts with one question: which side do you want to sit on? The two teams have opposite sidelines, so which side you sit on shapes the experience. MetLife’s seating is organized into the 100 Level, 200 Level, and 300 Level, which differ in proximity to the field and sight lines.

Army Side vs. Navy Side: How to Pick Your Section

Army is the home team for the 2026 game, and the official Army-Navy Game FAQ puts the Black Knights on the east sideline and Navy on the west sideline. Check which side your section is on before you buy. If you have a strong rooting interest, consider a section on the sideline of the team you’re cheering for. If you’re attending as a neutral fan, either side lets you watch the two fan bases cheer for their teams.

Game-Day Guide: Tips for the Army-Navy Game

The Army-Navy Game is more than a football game. It's a full-day experience steeped in military tradition, pageantry, and patriotic energy unlike anything else in American sports. First-time attendees should plan to arrive early, dress for December weather in the New York/New Jersey metro area, and build extra time into their schedule for the pregame traditions that make this rivalry special.

MetLife Stadium enforces a bag policy at its events, so check the Army-Navy Game’s official game-day information for the current bag rules before you pack. Plan accordingly, especially if you’re layering up for cold weather and want to carry hand warmers, phone chargers, or other essentials.

Army-Navy Pregame Traditions

The March-On is one of the most stirring sights in all of college sports. The entire Corps of Cadets (Army) and Brigade of Midshipmen (Navy) march in crisp military formation onto the field before the game. The sight of thousands of future officers in uniform, marching in precision, is a spectacle that commands attention and respect, and it's a major reason families of cadets and midshipmen make the trip.

The Prisoner Exchange is a unique Army-Navy tradition rooted in the Service Academy Exchange Program. Select cadets and midshipmen spend a semester at the rival academy each year. Before kickoff, these exchange students are ceremonially "returned" to their home academy's section of the stadium to cheer alongside their classmates. The exchange is lighthearted but symbolic, a reminder of the mutual respect underlying the rivalry.

The Flyover launches the game with a display of military aviation, setting a tone that no other college football game can match.

Getting to MetLife Stadium

MetLife Stadium is located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. NJ Transit carried fans to and from the 2021 Army-Navy Game at MetLife Stadium, so check NJ Transit’s website for game-day service information closer to December 12. Dress for the weather. December in the New York/New Jersey area is cold, and MetLife is an open-air stadium with little protection from wind. Dress in warm layers, and bring gloves and a hat.

Frequently Asked Questions About Army-Navy Game Tickets

How can I avoid fake Army-Navy Game tickets?

Avoid buying from social-media sellers, Craigslist, or direct messages, since there is no buyer protection. Insist on an actual mobile-account transfer rather than a screenshot, and be skeptical of prices that are dramatically below the market range. Buying through a platform with a buyer guarantee adds another layer of protection.

Where can I buy Army and Navy football tickets on the resale market?

TicketX is a resale marketplace where you can browse tickets for both teams. Find Army Black Knights football tickets or Navy Midshipmen football tickets on TicketX. TicketX operates with no hidden fees.

When is the best time to buy resale Army-Navy tickets?

There is no single window that guarantees the lowest price. High-demand rivalry games like Army-Navy can see prices change as game day approaches, and short-term changes can happen as sellers adjust their listings or as new listings appear. These changes are hard to predict, so waiting for a lower price carries some risk. The safest strategy is to set a personal spending limit and purchase when a listing in your preferred section fits that limit.

What happens if the Army-Navy Game is canceled after I buy resale tickets?

Cancellation policies vary by resale platform, so it's essential to review the specific terms of the marketplace where you purchase. On TicketX, if the game is canceled and not rescheduled, contact TicketX for a refund. TicketX's Buyer Guarantee covers tickets that are fake or invalid or don't arrive in time, and events that are canceled and not rescheduled. Depending on the case, TicketX sends replacement tickets or refunds you. If the game is postponed or rescheduled instead, TicketX does not offer a refund, because tickets are often still valid for the new date; if you can't make the new date, you can list your tickets for sale on TicketX. For details, see the Buyer's Guarantee section of the TicketX Help Center. If you purchase through a different platform, confirm their cancellation policy before completing checkout. Not all guarantees are equivalent.