Sugar Bowl Game in New Orleans Postponed After Bourbon Street Attack

After 15 people were killed and multiple others were injured when a truck drove into crowds of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, the Sugar Bowl, set to be played at the Superdome, has been postponed.

In a Wednesday, Jan. 1 statement posted by the Sugar Bowl Committee on X, hours after the tragedy, the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Irish has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 2.

“The 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl has been postponed until tomorrow. We will communicate further details as they become available,” the statement read. PEOPLE has reached out to the Sugar Bowl Committee for comment.

Later in the day, it was announced that the game would be held at 3 p.m. CT after a decision that was “made in coordination with federal, state, and local authorities as well as the College Football Playoff, ESPN, the Southeastern Conference, the University of Georgia, the University of Notre Dame, and Caesars Superdome.”

The FBI has confirmed that the suspect in Wednesday’s incident, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is dead and that the agency is investigating the incident as a “potential act of terrorism.” The attack took place less than a mile from the Superdome.

The latest development comes hours after Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said during a morning press conference that the game would still go on as planned.

“There’s much to enjoy about New Orleans and we are going to make sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe today for the game,” she said at the time. “And yeah, we had this tragic event and we’re sorry to everyone in our community, but we do want you to go about the day. As we say, just stay away from Bourbon.”

The Sugar Bowl Committee previously issued a statement expressing its condolences and confirming that it communicated with officials regarding the next steps.

“The Sugar Bowl Committee is devasted by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” the statement shared on X read. “We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available, the statement continued.

The game was initially scheduled to take place at 8:45 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, one of three college football bowl games set for New Year’s Day.

Following the incident, the UGA Athletic Association confirmed on X that all team personnel and members had been accounted for.

“Currently, we are in contact with local law enforcement as well as representatives from the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff and are continuing to gather more information. Our prayers are with all those who traveled here for the Sugar Bowl and entire New Orleans community,” they said in the statement.

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The Notre Dame Football team also confirmed on X that their entire team is safe, adding, “We will continue to stay in contact with local law enforcement, as well as representatives from the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff.”