The Eastern Illinois Panthers have announced their 2026 football schedule, featuring five home tilts and seven away contests.
Eastern Illinois opens the season Thursday, Aug. 27 at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Ky., against Murray State of the MVFC. The Panthers remain on the road the following Thursday, traveling to take on Minnesota.
EIU opens home play at O’Brien Field in Charleston, Ill., on Sept. 12, welcoming Indiana State of the MVFC. A road date at FCS runners-up Illinois State is set for the following week as the opener of a three-game road swing. The Panthers travel to South Dakota State on Sept. 26, then open OVC-Big South play at Gardner-Webb on Oct. 10.
Lindenwood visits EIU for the home conference opener on Oct. 17, with the Homecoming game against Southeast Missouri set for the following Saturday. A visit to UT Martin on Halloween closes October.
Western Illinois crosses the state to square off with EIU on Nov. 7, followed by the final road game at Tennessee State on Nov. 14. Charleston Southern visits to close the regular season on Nov. 21.
Below is Eastern Illinois’ complete schedule for the 2026 season, plus a link to their schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
2026 Eastern Illinois Football Schedule
08/27 – at Murray State
09/03 – at Minnesota
09/12 – Indiana State
09/19 – at Illinois State
09/26 – at South Dakota State
10/03 – OFF
10/10 – at Gardner-Webb
10/17 – Lindenwood*
10/24 – Southeast Missouri*
10/31 – at UT Martin*
11/07 – Western Illinois*
11/14 – at Tennessee State*
11/21 – Charleston Southern*
* OVC-Big South contest.
Eastern Illinois finished 3-9 in 2025, with a 2-6 record in league play. Chris Wilkerson begins his fourth year guiding the Panthers, having logged a 16-30 record (7-13) during his time in Charleston.
