ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan announced Wednesday that its 2026 football seasonโ opener against Western Michiganโข will be played at Michigan Stadium in Annโค Arbor on September 5, 2026. Theโ decision โcomes โคafter exploring the possibility of playing the game internationally in frankfurt, germany, on August 29th.
“We did a thorough and exhaustive evaluation in relation to playing an international game,” โฃsaid Warde Manuel, the Donaldโค R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. “Based on โthe analysis ofโ allโข the factors, weโข felt it was โฃbest to keep the game in Ann Arbor as it wasโ originally scheduled for the 2026 season.”
Discussions had been underway to โคhost the Westernโ Michigan game at Deutsche โBank park in Frankfurt, Hesse, โคGermany. the stadium, also known as Waldstadion, isโ the home field of Eintracht Frankfurt, a team in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top โprofessional soccer league.
Manuel expressed gratitude โฃto Eintracht Frankfurt andโค their stadium management for their collaborative efforts. “I want to thank โคEintracht Frankfurt and their stadium management company for all the workโข that thay did in partnership โคwith our staff toโ try to make this โgame a possibility.”
Despite canceling the 2026 game โin Germany, the athletic department remains open to futureโ international โฃopportunities. “We have fans and โฃalumniโ around the globe,โค and manyโข have expressed โexcitement โabout โคattending a game on foreign soil. We remain โคopen toโ exploring the right opportunities for our teams to play internationally,” Manuel added.