Levi’s Stadium to host 2014 Pac-12 Football Championship game

The Pac-12 Conference will announce today that its 2014 football conference championship game will be held at the nearly completed Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Construction on the venue is expected to conclude sometime this summer, with an MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC on August 2 expected to be the first sporting event at the new $1.3 billion stadium.

With a tentative maximum capacity of 68,500, Levi’s replaces the decades-old Candlestick Park as the permanent home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. In addition, the stadium will be the new host of the Fight Hunger Bowl — which has been played at AT&T Park since 2002 — and Super Bowl L on February 7, 2016. Although it is unclear how long the Pac-12 Championship Game will remain at Levi’s Stadium, it is likely to remain in the South Bay for the foreseeable future.

The decision by the Pac-12 marks the first time in the league’s history that the conference championship game will be held at a neutral site. In the past three seasons, the team with the better record between the Pac-12 North and South division champions has hosted the conference title tilt. During that time, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State have each served as host.

The 2014 Pac-12 Championship is scheduled for Friday, December 5.