UCLA Confirms 2026 Football Season at Rose Bowl, as Pasadena Lawsuit Proceeds Toward Trial

UCLA will play the 2026 football season at the Rose Bowl, the university announced Saturday, confirming that new head coach Bob Chesney will open his tenure at the Pasadena stadium the Bruins have called home since 1982.

The announcement comes less than three weeks after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied UCLA’s motion to compel arbitration in the breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company, which seeks to hold UCLA to its lease through June 30, 2044. Pasadena officials say taxpayers have invested more than $150 million in stadium renovations, and the city recently refinanced an additional $130 million in bonds for capital improvements.

UCLA’s statement, attributed to Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications Mary Osako, addresses only the 2026 season. It makes no reference to the ongoing litigation, the lease dispute, or the university’s long-term plans.

“Our priority is delivering a strong season experience for our student-athletes and our community, and we have great momentum in our football program,” Osako said in the statement. “During this unprecedented time in college athletics, UCLA will always be guided by what’s best for our student-athletes and the Bruin community.”

The lawsuit, filed October 29, 2025, alleges that UCLA has been working to relocate its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The complaint described the potential move as “a profound betrayal of trust, of tradition, and of the very community that helped build UCLA football.” The city and the RBOC later added Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC and Stadco LA LLC, entities affiliated with SoFi Stadium, as defendants.

Attorneys for Pasadena and the RBOC said the arbitration ruling affirms the city’s right to seek enforcement of the lease in open court.

“That agreement was the foundation for hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed investments made to modernize and preserve one of the most iconic sports venues in the world,” said Nima Mohebbi, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP representing the city and the RBOC. “In return, UCLA made a clear and binding commitment to play its home football games at the Rose Bowl through 2044 and expressly waived any right to terminate that commitment early.”

On February 5, Judge Joseph Lipner denied motions by UCLA and the stadium defendants to compel arbitration, to stay the proceedings, and to quash deposition subpoenas.

“It would have been simple to require arbitration of lawsuits like the current one, including claims of anticipatory repudiation, if the parties had intended to do so,” the judge wrote. He found the arbitration clause was limited to disputes over specific defects or deficiencies and did not cover UCLA’s alleged effort to terminate or abandon the contract.

Mayor Victor Gordo said after the ruling that “Pasadena is excited about UCLA football at our beloved Rose Bowl stadium for generations to come and we continue to say Go Bruins.”

UCLA has maintained publicly that “no decision has been made” regarding a long-term relocation, according to an October statement by Osako to the Los Angeles Times. Saturday’s announcement does not contradict or expand on that position.

The lease, restated in 2010 and amended in 2014, contains a non-compete clause prohibiting UCLA from playing home games at any facility in the Los Angeles area or Orange County other than the Rose Bowl. Under its terms, UCLA pays no rent; the Rose Bowl takes a percentage of ticket sales, concessions, and ancillary revenue. UCLA does not receive suite revenue at the stadium.

The lawsuit contends that UCLA’s departure could cause harm to Pasadena and its residents exceeding a billion dollars, according to the complaint.

UCLA enters the 2026 season under Chesney, who was hired December 6, 2025, after compiling a 21-6 record in two seasons at James Madison. The Bruins went 3-9 last season, and UCLA averaged approximately 35,000 in announced attendance at the Rose Bowl.

The parties are scheduled to appear in court Friday for a case management conference as the lawsuit proceeds toward trial.

The Friday hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Department 72 of the County Courthouse at 111 N. Hill Street in Los Angeles.