Could Michigan play its first international game in program history in 2026?
The school said Friday that it was in "ongoing discussions" to host its season opener against Western Michigan in Germany. The game would be held at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on Aug. 29. The soccer stadium hosted two NFL games in November of 2023 when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts beat the New England Patriots.
"We are in advanced discussions to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for our student-athletes and fans," Michigan 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."
The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 5. If it's played in Germany, it will be in Week 0, as the official opening weekend of the 2025 season is a week later than it is in 2024 thanks to the date of Labor Day.
Michigan’s likely move to play in Europe comes as college programs are now regularly hosting games on the other side of the Atlantic. The 2025 season kicks off with Kansas State and Iowa State in Dublin. A year ago, Georgia Tech took down Florida State in Dublin in a harbinger of bad things to come for the Seminoles in 2024.
The game between Michigan and Western Michigan would be the second international game of the 2026 season. North Carolina and TCU are playing in Dublin on the same day after the two teams play in Chapel Hill in Week 1 in 2025. That game will be the first of the Bill Belichick era at North Carolina.
The game between the Wolverines and Broncos is set to be just the seventh meeting for the schools. They first met in 2001 and Michigan has won all six contests by a combined score of 234 to 67.
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