The Georgia State Panthers have added the Northern Illinois Huskies to their 2026 football schedule, it was announced Thursday.
Georgia State will host Northern Illinois at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. A return game at Northern Illinois was not mentioned.
The Georgia State-Northern Illinois contest in 2026 will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. Georgia State is 2-3 against teams from the Mid-American Conference, while Northern Illinois holds a 21-17 record against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.
With the addition of Northern Illinois, the Georgia State Panthers have tentatively completed their non-conference schedule for the 2026 season. Georgia State is scheduled to open the season on Sept. 5 at home against the North Carolina A&T Aggies before making a short drive up I-75 to face the Kennesaw State Owls on Sept. 12.
Georgia State is also scheduled to visit the UCF Knights on Sept. 19, which was reported last fall. The Panthers will receive a $1.25 million guarantee for playing UCF.
Northern Illinois is currently a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), but will officially join the Mountain West Conference on July 1.
The Huskies are slated to kickoff the 2026 campaign on the road against Iowa on Sept. 5. Other non-conference matchups include Illinois State at home on Sept. 12 and Arizona on the road on Sept. 19.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
