CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2026 football schedule Monday night during the two-hour special ACC Huddle: Football Schedule Release on ACC Network, with the first hour simulcasted on ESPN2.

Click here to watch to the ACC Huddle: Football Schedule Release.
 
In transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule, 12 ACC programs will play nine league games and at least one Power Four non-conference opponent in 2026, while the five other ACC programs will play eight league games and at least two Power Four non-conference opponents. In total, ACC teams are slated to play 25 non-conference games against Power Four opponents - including nine versus the SEC, five against the Big Ten, five against the Big 12, and six against Notre Dame - the most of any conference.
 
“There will be no shortage of excitement surrounding the 2026 ACC Football season,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “As a league, we are transitioning to a nine-game conference schedule, and our teams are once again playing the toughest collection of non-conference opponents of any Power Four league. In collaboration with our television partners, we will continue to showcase every game throughout the season, including the strongest Friday slate in ACC history.”
 
The 2026 schedule is highlighted by a pair of international contests in Week 0 that will place ACC football on a historic stage. NC State and Virginia will open the season – and conference play – in College Football Brasil, the first-ever college football game played in South America, on Saturday, August 29, at Nilton Santos Stadium (Engenhão) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That same day, North Carolina will face TCU in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, marking the Tar Heels’ first-ever international appearance.
 
The ACC will once again anchor college football on Labor Day Monday, closing out Week 1 as SMU travels to Florida State for a marquee conference matchup. The game marks the 17th consecutive year the ACC has played on Labor Day (excluding the 2020 COVID season) and the 20th time overall since Florida State and Miami met in the inaugural Labor Day Monday night game in 2005.

High-profile non-conference matchups against Power Four opponents on ACC campuses begin in Week 1, highlighted by Georgia Tech hosting Colorado and California welcoming UCLA. Week 2 features Boston College hosting Rutgers, Georgia Tech welcoming Tennessee and Pitt taking on UCF at home, before North Carolina hosts Notre Dame in Week 5. Week 13 adds to the slate with Clemson hosting South Carolina, Florida State welcoming Florida to Tallahassee and Syracuse hosting Notre Dame.
 
Friday night football once again belongs to the ACC, with Weeks 1 through 6 each featuring at least one ACC team in primetime. The slate includes five conference matchups: Week 1 – Miami at Stanford; Week 3 – Miami at Wake Forest; Week 4 – Clemson at California; Week 5 – Pitt at Virginia Tech; and Week 6 – Florida State at Louisville, and a special non-conference contest in Week 2 as Boston College hosts Rutgers on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 for the Eagles’ annual Red Bandana Game honoring the memory of 9/11 Hero Welles Crowther.
 
Additional high-profile Friday night games will be featured in Weeks 8 through 10, to be announced later, followed by Florida State at Pitt in Week 11, Miami hosting Virginia Tech in Week 12, and Florida State welcoming Florida on Black Friday in Week 13.

Conference play begins in Week 0 with the historic College Football Brasil matchup and continues into Week 1 as Stanford hosts Miami on Friday, September 4, and SMU faces Florida State on Labor Day, Monday, September 7. League play continues into Week 2 with California at Syracuse on Saturday, September 12, before amping up in Week 3 with five ACC matchups.
 
Annual ACC rivalries take center stage beginning in Week 3, highlighted by Pitt hosting Syracuse on Thursday, September 17. NC State will host Wake Forest in Week 6, followed by three long-standing rivalries in Week 7: Florida State vs. Miami, Pitt vs. Boston College and North Carolina vs. Duke.
 
Key late-season matchups include California at SMU in Week 8, Clemson at Florida State in Week 9, and Duke at NC State in Week 10. Week 12 features four rivalry games — Virginia Tech at Miami, North Carolina at Virginia, Stanford at California, and Syracuse at Boston College — while Week 13 includes SMU at Stanford, NC State at North Carolina, Duke at Wake Forest, and Virginia at Virginia Tech during Thanksgiving Weekend.
 
As announced earlier today, the season will culminate with the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 5, at noon ET on ABC from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Fans are encouraged to sign up for the ACC Football mailing list to be among the first to receive information on ticket offers, on-sale dates and pricing. Click here for more information.
 
The ACC, in conjunction with its television partners ESPN, ACC Network and The CW, will announce kickoff times for the first three weeks of the season in late May. One game in each of Weeks 8, 9, and 10 will be moved to Friday, with those additional scheduling details to be announced later.
 
About The ACC  
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 73rd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).