After a one-year, pandemic-influenced hiatus, the Hawaii Bowl returns to Honolulu this Christmas Eve.

The 19th game will be played at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on the University of Hawaii’s lower campus, and match football teams from the Mountain West Conference and American Athletic Conference. UH is an MWC member.

Kick-off is set for 3 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.

“We look forward to the 2021 Hawaii Bowl and the opportunities the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex will provide our fans to continue their holiday tradition of cheering for their favorite teams in person,” executive director Daryl Garvin said in a news release.

ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, owns the Hawaii Bowl and 16 other college bowls.

From the inaugural game in 2002 through 2019, the Hawaii Bowl was played in Aloha Stadium. The 2020 game was canceled in part due to the Halawa facility not allowing spectators because of the pandemic. In December, Aloha Stadium officials announced that the facility would not book events involving spectators because of structural concerns. UH decided to play its home football games at the retrofitted Ching complex until a new stadium is built in Halawa. This year, Ching’s seating capacity is 9,000. UH is seeking zoning approval to expand seating to more than 15,000 in 2022.

The Hawaii Bowl was created in 2002 in response to the Rainbow Warriors being left out of the postseason after going 9-3 in 2001. While UH does not have an ownership stake, as an affiliate, it provides staffing such as media relations and game-day management.

The Warriors do not receive an automatic berth in the game, but they would be considered a preferred participant if they were bowl eligible. The Warriors have played in nine of the 18 Hawaii Bowl games.