The Michigan Wolverines and Western Michigan Broncos are discussing opening the 2026 football season against each other in Germany, it was reported Friday.
Brett McMurphy of On3 first reported the news that was then shared by Michigan’s athletics department.
“We are in advanced discussions to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for our student-athletes and fans,” said Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics at Michigan. “The University of Michigan is one of the few worldwide brands in college athletics and the interest in playing an international game would be unique. This would be a great opportunity to teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany.”
The game would be the first non-conference tilt for the Wolverines outside North America. It would be played at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany, on Saturday, Aug. 29.
“I am excited about the football and educational experience this game could provide for our players,” said Sherrone Moore, U-M’s J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach. “We are always looking for unique opportunities to expose our student-athletes to other cultures. In the last 10 years, our program has been to Italy, France and South Africa, and this game would provide another chance to grow our international fanbase.”
The Wolverines and Broncos are currently slated to play a week later on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Michigan Stadium.
“It’s exciting to be in these advance discussions that present an historic moment not only for our football program, but for Western Michigan University as our national brand continues to grow,” said Western Michigan Vice President and Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae in a release. “The opportunity to be a part of the first college football game played in Germany presents an experience for our program that is unmatched at any level of college football, and puts the University on an international stage. We can’t wait for the world to see all of the great academic, community, and athletic accomplishments happening at Western Michigan University.”
Deutsche Bank Park seats 55,000 fans and has a retractable roof. The 100-year-old facility has hosted five NFL games — the last in 2023 — but has yet to host a college contest.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our football program, our student-athletes, and the entire Western Michigan University community,” said Western Michigan Head Football Coach Lance Taylor. “To potentially open the 2026 season on an international stage against one of the most storied programs in college football is both an honor and an exciting challenge we would embrace wholeheartedly. An international game offers our players not only a unique competitive experience, but also an invaluable educational one. Traveling to Germany and representing Western Michigan University abroad will give our student-athletes cultural exposure and memories they’ll carry long beyond their playing days. It’s the kind of life experience that perfectly reflects the spirit and values of college athletics.”
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It will be a honor for My Michigan Wolverines to start 2026 CFB season in Frankfurt, Germany vs Western Michigan Broncos.
What is such an honor about it?
Illininoles97 As a Michigan Wolverines Fan I am looking forward to them starting 2026 CFB season overseas in Germany & looking forward to it.
The Hope Flying Dutchmen & Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen of Division III should play a game in the Netherlands.
Remember Illinoles97 who is saying that.
Yeah, I agree, I don’t get what makes all these games across the pond and now in South America for the NFL so fantastic. These are our games, whether its baseball or football. I guess if my teams was playing in a game back when I was stationed in Germany that I would have gone, but do they really fully understand (to paraphrase Mr. Lombari) ‘what the hell is going on?’
It has to be a real downer to go from playing in 100k plus seat stadium with all that college excitement to a stadium almost half that size where they aren’t completely sure how to react and flying 8 or 9 hours one way to get there and then come back again.
If they were preseason games, I’d be okay with it. European soccer teams play tons of preseason games here in the states.
Maybe the WMU players will feel like they miss out on the Big House (though I doubt it), but the Michigan players will have plenty of games at home and at that age, the actual kids playing likely will enjoy a trip abroad. They aren’t old stick-in-the-muds like many folks here.
@Evan, they can keep their version of football. We don’t need more of that when it is literally on television all year now. I grew up with baseball and so maybe if I came along in a generation that has had soccer seemingly force fed to them, I would feel differently. If I want to watch again where they are trying to push something into a net, hockey is IMO the best spectator sport for that.
@Richard, Stick-in-the-muds? It sounds to me like you’ve never been to Germany. In the two years I spent there, the drunk and happy oompa music image never presented itself to me, it seemed like they were always hung over and grouchy if anything. “The actual kids” shouldn’t be enjoying the trip, they are playing a football game and now they’re getting paid to do it.
taking home games away from the season ticket holders and ruining week 1 #puremichigan
At least Michigan is scheduled to have seven home games at Big House.
I would rather have Western Michigan than Michigan State in Frankfurt Germany any day plus Michigan State would be best opponent in Ann Arbor.
1. They’ll pay for 7 home games instead of 8 so their outlay will go down.
2. How many Michigan season tickets holders did you think were dying to see UMich play WMU?
the fans wait for 9 months to go to the stadium and they take away opening day. this would never happen in Columbus Knoxville Tuscaloosa etc. At least Stallionz can attend if he has a passport
Urbzino Ohio State, Tennessee & Alabama will play a international game in future.
If NFL can do it so can NCAA Football.
At least home opener at Big House will be Oklahoma week 2.
Playing a game overseas would still allow both to add a 13th game, if they do the German game in Week Zero? Is the Hawaii/Alaska/Overseas rule still in place?
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Then UM and WMU both can add a home game against an FCS…
Not necessarily however I really want Power 4 to add another regular season game to make it 13 with nine conference games, four OOC with two Power 4 teams & two cupcake games Group of six & FCS.
Geez Dan steal what I said about a week ago.
At least most important part that this became agreeable to both of us between Illininoles97 & Dan NW-IL-MI.
Where are we planning to play a game in Alaska? A high school stadium or a polar bear trash dump? There is no college football in Alaska.
I have never heard of the overseas rule.
There was recently a story out, however, that Hawaii will still count to add an extra game if it is scheduled on week 0.
How can someone follow this website and have never heard of the overseas rule. That’s easily researchable within a minute. It’s NCAA bylaw 17.11.4.3.
Sorry about that Don, I haven’t had my rule book updated in some time now. I think I said I never heard of it, not that it did not exist. Is that Don Knotts with the code memorized so nicely? Nice job Barn!
Wheaton’s Law, JM.
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You don’t even have to Google, just read FBSchedules:
https://fbschedules.com/college-football-schedule-2024-the-hawaii-exemption-and-week-zero
Okay, once again, I think I said I didn’t know of a rule that allowed at 13th game for playing over seas
17.11.4.3 states that teams can play a game overseas in week 0, according to the story David sites. It does not say anything about playing a 13th game for playing overseas in week 0.
There is another rule that says teams can play a 13th game for playing a game in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico. Again, there are no college football teams in Alaska and there is hardly a stadium to hold such a game in, but we have some people on here that would support that and have that game officiated by penguins. FYI penguins don’t live in the Arctic.
I stand by my original statement. I haven’t heard of a rule that allows this for playing overseas, but 17.11.4.3 is not the rule and there is nothing in that posted story that points to a rule to confirm that.
I hate hearing this. These two should let their alumni be able to drive to a non-conference game. Instead, they’ll try to get marketing for future students to come to them.
Curious what total of UofM’s alumni reside in Germany or Europe at large. Would also be interested to see if any enrollment increases have been observed the following application cycles to regions where schools have play abroad. I had always presumed these types of events were more suited towards enticing alumni into group travel type packages and donations while almost guaranteeing a national TV window. But given the heavier reliance on international student tuition the past couple of decades of this is not an opportunity seen by the school leaders to build more enrollment pipelines.