Rose Bowl's CFP Semifinal, Fiesta Bowl to Be Played Without Fans amid COVID-19

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Fiesta Bowl Organization announced on Thursday that this year's Rose Bowl—one of two semifinals in the College Football Playoff—and Fiesta Bowl would be played without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"While we are disappointed that the Rose Bowl Game will not be played in front of spectators, we are pleased that we are still able to hold the game this year, continuing the 100-year plus tradition of The Granddaddy of Them All," Pasadena Tournament of Roses executive director and CEO David Eads said in a statement. "We continue to work closely with health department officials and the Rose Bowl Stadium to provide the safest possible environment for our game participants."

The Rose Bowl release noted the Tournament of Roses "requested special permission to allow for a limited number of spectators or a select number of student-athlete and coach guests," but was denied because of California and L.A. County guidelines. The Fiesta Bowl, however, will allow the "immediate families of the teams participating in the game" to attend.

 The Fiesta Bowl Organization's executive director Mike Nealy added 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. 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 Rose Bowl will be held on Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET, and the Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2 at 4 p.m. ET.

It is unclear if Jan. 11's CFP National Championship Game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will proceed with fans in attendance. At the very least, it seems likely any attendance will be limited.