Michigan football will play the first game of its 2026 season against Western Michigan in Frankfurt, Germany.
LAS VEGAS — Grab your passport: the Michigan football program is headed overseas.
U-M announced Friday, July 25, it is in the midst of “ongoing discussions” to kick off the 2026 season against Western Michigan at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.
The game, originally scheduled for Sept. 5, would be moved to Saturday, Aug. 29, and would become the first Wolverines game outside of North America.
“We are in advanced discussions to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for our student-athletes and fans,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “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.”
Deutsche Bank Park − also known as Waldstadion − is the home field for Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga, which is the top tier of the German football (soccer) league.
The stadium has a capacity of 55,000 seats and was opened in 100 years ago. Since the NFL began playing overseas, Germany has hosted five games, with Deutsche Bank Park seeing two of them: when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 (Nov. 5, 2023) and the following week when the Indianapolis Colts topped the New England Patriots 10-6 (Nov. 12).
“I am excited about the football and educational experience this game could provide for our players,” U-M coach Sherrone Moore said in a statement. “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.”
There will be more details about when U-M will open the 2026 season at home to follow.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football to open 2026 season in Europe
Category: General Sports
