West Virginia’s 2026 football schedule has been released, and for only the fifth time since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012, the Mountaineers will play seven home games.

WVU will start the season at home against nonconference foes Coastal Carolina (Sept. 5) and UT Martin (Sept. 12).

Five of its first seven games will be at Milan Puskar Stadium.

“I’m excited for this schedule and our 2026 football season. With this being our year to have five Big 12 Conference games at home, there will be less travel for our team and our fans,” vice president and director of athletics Wren Baker said in a statement.

In its final nonconference matchup of the season, West Virginia travels to Charlotte on Sept. 19 to face Virginia in the 24th meeting of a series that dates back to 1898 and resumes for the first time since the teams met in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl. That game also was played in Charlotte.

After a year off in the series versus each of their next four opponents, the Mountaineers open Big 12 Conference play at home against Oklahoma State (Sept. 26) before traveling to Iowa State (Oct. 3) and playing host to Arizona (Oct. 10) and Cincinnati (Oct. 17).

Before an open week, WVU goes to Ft. Worth to face TCU (Oct. 24) in the 14th meeting between the two schools.

The Mountaineers travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech (Nov. 7) in the 15th game of the series. The Red Raiders are the only opponent on this year’s schedule that WVU has faced every year it has been a member of the Big 12.

WVU faces Kansas (Nov. 14) and Houston (Nov. 21) in back-to-back home dates to close the home portion of the schedule. Houston will travel to Morgantown for the first time.

In the regular-season finale, West Virginia travels to Salt Lake City for the first time to face Utah (Nov. 28) in the third overall meeting of the series.

“As with every year, the Big 12 is one of the best conferences in the country, filled with many tough opponents,” coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Our players and coaches already are working hard and know there is a lot to do to get ready for the challenges ahead of us this season.”

The Big 12 Football Championship game is slated for Dec. 4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The times and television lineup for the 2026 schedule will be announced at a later date.

WVU football season ticket holders can now renew their season tickets and parking passes, along with their associated Mountaineer Athletic Club (MAC) per seat and parking contributions for the upcoming 2026 season online at WVUGAME.com.

New season tickets also are on sale now to fans who did not have season tickets in 2025.