Schedule Set for UNC Football’s 2026 Season

The UNC football program now has its complete schedule for the 2026 season. The ACC revealed all of the league members’ schedules Monday night.

UNC will open the season in Dublin, Ireland against TCU as part of the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Aviva Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 29. That weekend of matchups has become known as “Week Zero,” because it features a select few teams who open play a week earlier than most programs. Because UNC is playing a Week Zero game, the Tar Heels will have multiple open dates on their schedule.

The first open date comes after UNC’s game in Ireland, and Carolina will return to the United States for its home opener against East Tennessee State Saturday, Sept. 12 in Kenan Stadium. The next week, Carolina opens ACC play when it travels to Clemson, and the Tar Heels will then enjoy another bye week before hosting Notre Dame in Chapel Hill on Oct. 3.

Elsewhere in ACC play, UNC travels to Pittsburgh (Oct. 10), Duke (Oct. 17) and Virginia (Nov. 21) and hosts Syracuse (Oct. 24), national runners-up Miami (Oct. 31), Louisville (Nov. 14) and NC State (Nov. 28). The Tar Heels will also travel up to New England for a non-conference matchup with UConn on Nov. 7. No kickoff times have been set for the games.

UNC’s 12 opponents combined to win 103 games during the 2025-26 season, with nine of those teams winning at least eight games and three winning at least 10. Of the 11 FBS teams on the Tar Heels’ schedule, UNC won the most recent meeting with just two of them: Syracuse and, ironically enough, Miami.

For a full look at UNC’s schedule, click here.

The Tar Heels finished the 2025 season, the first under head coach Bill Belichick, with a 4-8 record. It was the team’s worst record since 2018, which was also the last season which saw Carolina miss a bowl game. Since the offseason began, Belichick’s program has signed more than a dozen players from the transfer portal and the secured the returns of several stars from the 2025 season.

Fans who are interested in traveling to Dublin for the TCU game can view ticket packages here. Season ticket renewal applications can be found here, while fans who wish to purchase new season tickets can make deposits here.

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

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