Sacramento State’s planned move to a new football stadium at Cal Expo has not happened before the 2026 season, leaving the project in limbo and keeping six home games at Hornet Stadium this fall.
The delay is notable because the stadium shift was supposed to be part of Sacramento State’s transition into the Football Bowl Subdivision. Instead of playing in a new venue tied to the fairgrounds, the team remains at Hornet Stadium for this season.
What the plan was
The original idea was to build a new stadium at Cal Expo rather than continue using Hornet Stadium. The project was expected to expand on the existing grandstands at the fairgrounds, including the now-shuttered horse track site.
On June 24, 2025, Sacramento State Athletic Director Mark Orr said he had extreme confidence that the Cal Expo site could handle six Saturdays of football. He also said the necessary pieces were already in place, pointing to parking and grandstands with press boxes.
At the time, the message from Sacramento State was optimism. The expectation was that Cal Expo could become a workable home for the program as it moved to a higher level of competition.
Where things stand now
By early this year, cost estimates for the project had already fluctuated from $170 million to nearly $212 million. This week, the Cal Expo grounds were described as looking more prepared for horse racing than college football, a sign that the stadium plan has not advanced as hoped.
Alex Alcantar said both organizations had been focused on their own priorities, including Cal Expo’s recently completed California State Fair. He also said, “At this time, there are no new developments to report.”
For now, the practical answer is simple: Sacramento State will play its six home games at Hornet Stadium this season. The bigger question is what happens next with the Cal Expo site, which had been positioned as the program’s future home but is now sitting without a clear timeline.
