2021 Fiesta Bowl Will Be Played Without Fans

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Fiesta Bowl will go on amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the game will be a quiet one.

The Fiesta Bowl Organization announced in a news release Thursday that the Jan. 2 game, an annual highlight amid college football's bowl season, will be played without fans in the stands. Players will be allowed to bring their immediate family members, however.

The decision was made by local jurisdictions after receiving guidance from the Arizona Department of Health Services, Mike Nealy, executive director of the organization, said in a statement.

"While we are disappointed that the PlayStation® Fiesta Bowl will not have fans in the stadium to enjoy Bowl Season this year, we respect the decisions made by the local authorities," Nealy said."Our staff was incredibly diligent to put health and safety measures in place that earned the endorsement from the Governor's Office for policies that aligned with recommendations for reducing COVID-19 transmission risk. Ultimately, we all need to do our part to ensure the health and safety of our community to reduce the spread of COVID-19."

The news comes as coronavirus continue to hit record levels in Arizona. The state health dashboard reported 5,680 new cases and 64 additional deaths Friday, with only nine percent of ICU beds available statewide. The bulk of cases come from Maricopa County, the largest county in Arizona, where the Fiesta Bowl is played each year.

The 2021 game is the 50th anniversary of the Fiesta Bowl, which will no go on with little fanfare. Fans can still watch the game live on ESPN as it's played from State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The two teams that will play the legendary bowl game have not yet been named.

The 2019 showdown between Clemson University and Ohio State University was ranked the best game of 2019 by ESPN and the best bowl game by Yahoo! and Bleacher Report.