Visiting Tempe for a Game?

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is just 6 miles from downtown Tempe, making it one of the most stadium-convenient airports in college football. The easiest and cheapest way in is the PHX Sky Train, which connects directly from Terminals 3 and 4 to the 44th Street/Washington Valley Metro Rail Station, where you transfer to light rail and reach downtown Tempe in about 24 minutes total for just $2. Rideshare via Uber, Lyft, or even Waymo driverless vehicles is also widely available and runs roughly $15-$25 to the Mill Avenue area depending on surge pricing.

Valley Metro Rail is genuinely useful for sports fans in Tempe: the 38.5-mile light rail network runs through Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa with trains every 15-20 minutes and 9 stops within Tempe alone, including two stops in downtown Tempe near Mountain America Stadium. The Tempe Streetcar supplements rail with 14 stops along a 3-mile route connecting Mill Avenue, Marina Heights, and Apache Boulevard, making car-free game-day travel very practical. A car is unnecessary if you are staying in downtown Tempe or along the light rail corridor, though having one helps if you plan to explore Scottsdale or the broader Phoenix metro for additional sports or dining.

Downtown Tempe and the Mill Avenue District are the best base for sports fans, putting you within walking distance of Mountain America Stadium, the light rail, and a dense strip of bars and restaurants for pre- and post-game activity. Options here range from budget-friendly spots like the Graduate Tempe (around $100-$140/night on non-game weekends) to upscale properties like the Omni Tempe at ASU and The Westin Tempe (typically $200-$350/night). Expect significant rate spikes on home football Saturdays in the fall, especially for rivalry games, so book as early as possible for those weekends. Several downtown hotels also offer complimentary shuttle service to PHX, which can save money on the return trip.

Tempe is essentially a single-team college sports town built around Arizona State University, and the Sun Devil fan base is loud, passionate, and deeply proud of its Pac-12 (now Big 12) heritage and warm-weather home-field advantage. The ASU vs. Arizona rivalry, known as the Territorial Cup, is one of the oldest rivalry games in college football and draws visiting fans from Tucson in significant numbers, so expect a charged atmosphere when those teams meet. Visiting fans should also know that the broader Phoenix metro offers an enormous amount of supplementary sports tourism: Chase Field (MLB Diamondbacks) and PHX Arena (NBA Suns, WNBA Mercury) are directly accessible via Valley Metro Rail from Tempe, and Cactus League spring training games at nearby Sloan Park in Mesa are a popular add-on for fall or winter sports trips that extend into a longer Arizona vacation.