The Virginia Cavaliers and West Virginia Mountaineers will play in Charlotte in 2026 and 2032, both schools announced Wednesday.
Virginia and West Virginia will square off at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 19, 2026 and then again six seasons later on Sept. 4, 2032. The Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF) is the organizer of the event.
“We are thrilled to host the Cavaliers and Mountaineers in 2026 and 2032,” said Charlotte Sports Foundation executive director Danny Morrison. “We can’t wait to roll out the red carpet for two great fan bases and welcome them to the Queen City!”
Virginia and West Virginia have met 23 times on the gridiron with the Cavaliers holding a narrow lead in the series, 12-10-1. In their most recent matchup in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, also played in Charlotte, the Cavaliers claimed a 48-22 victory.
Virginia’s contest against West Virginia in 2026 will take the place of UVA’s previously announced game at Notre Dame that season. The Cavaliers are also scheduled to host Norfolk State, Delaware, and NC State in non-conference action.
In order to face the Cavaliers in Charlotte in 2026, West Virginia has canceled its game at East Carolina that season, which was reported Tuesday.
“The Charlotte region has a huge amount of WVU alumni, and adding these two games allows us to further engage our fans in the region, while putting a quality ACC regional opponent on our schedule,” West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “Our players get to play in a great NFL football stadium and working with the Charlotte Sports Foundation over the years has proved to be a great partnership.”
West Virginia’s 2026 non-conference slate also includes home contests against Alabama and UT Martin.
“In today’s ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the financial aspect of adding these two games in Charlotte is far too important for us to pass up,” Baker added. “Aside from all the positives of playing a neutral site game in Charlotte, we have a fiscal responsibility to our future, and adding these two games makes strong financial sense for our department.
“We have had positive and constructive conversations with our colleagues at East Carolina, and we are committed to helping and working with them to find a replacement for their home game in 2026.”
Football Schedules
It looks like new ACC member, SMU, is replacing Virginia in 2026, as a result of this agreement between VA and WV.
Are there any other plans for Notre Same to add games with SMU or California? Or extend the expiring contract with Stanford?
SMU taking Virginia’s place in 2026 was mentioned in this article. We have no other info on future ND games.
Alabama football game against West Virginia could be cancelled the series.
Any idea which conference controls media rights for the two different games?
Not until we see the contract.
I am pulling for William & Mary to cancel Virginia 2025 game & Notre Dame add Virginia to complete 2025 schedule & Northwestern add Wiliam & Mary to 2025 schedule.