The North Alabama Lions and Samford Bulldogs will open the 2026 season in Huntsville, the Huntsville Sports Commission and Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau announced on Tuesday.
North Alabama and Samford will square off on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, Ala. The venue, formerly used for minor league baseball, is now the home of Huntsville City FC, an MLS Next Pro team that is owned and operated by Nashville SC.
The 2026 matchup between North Alabama and Samford will mark the first meeting between the two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools since Aug. 29, 2002, when the Bulldogs defeated the Lions in Homewood, 24-21.
With the addition of Samford, North Alabama now has five scheduled non-conference opponents set for the 2026 season. After opening against the Bulldogs, North Alabama will make consecutive trips to visit Arkansas on Sept. 5 and Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 12.
Back-to-back home contests round out the non-league schedule for North Alabama, which features Alcorn State and Western Illinois visiting Florence on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26, respectively.
North Alabama, a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), opens league play on Oct. 3 on the road against Eastern Kentucky.
Samford now has all four if its 2026 non-conference opponents following the addition of North Alabama. The Bulldogs are also set to host Southern Illinois on Sept. 3, visit UAB on Oct. 3, and travel to Auburn on Nov. 21.
Southern Conference (SoCon) action for Samford this fall kicks off on Sept. 12 on the road against Tennessee Tech.
Football Schedules
