ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF football will open its 2026 conference schedule Sept. 26 against TCU  — at home for the first time since joining the Big 12, according to the university and the conference Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

UCF football will begin its season at home on Thursday, Sept. 3 against Bethune-Cookman

The Knights also will start Big 12 play at home for the first time with a matchup against TCU on Sept. 26

The schedule includes seven home games this season

Pop-Tarts Bowl champion BYU will be UCF’s Homecoming opponent, and the date of the Space Game has not been designated yet

Three of the Knights’ games in September will be played at Acrisure Bounce House, starting with their opener against intrastate opponent Bethune-Cookman University on Thursday, Sept. 3. They also will have a home game against Georgia State on Sept. 19.

The other game that month will be at Pitt on Sept. 12.

UCF’s 2026 schedule features seven home games. Its other home opponents in the upcoming season are BYU on Oct. 24, Baylor on Halloween, Arizona State on Nov. 14 and Iowa State on Nov. 21. 

The BYU game is Homecoming, and the Family Weekend matchup is Sept. 19 against Georgia State. The date of this year’s Space Game has not been determined yet.

The Knights will face a difficult Big 12 travel schedule, with no conference road matchups east of the Mississippi. They do not play Cincinnati or West Virginia.

Once again this season, the Knights so far will not play a Black Friday game. In its schedule announcement, UCF said that all games except the opener are currently scheduled for Saturdays but that the dates of some games could be adjusted.

They close their season on Nov. 28 against Colorado. The other road games are at Houston on Oct. 3, at Oklahoma State on Oct. 10 and at Kansas on Nov. 7.

Kickoff times and broadcast schedules will be announced in the future.

UCF Football 2026 Schedule

Sept. 3 vs. Bethune-Cookman
Sept. 12 at Pitt
Sept. 19 vs. Georgia State
Sept. 26 vs. TCU
Oct. 3 at Houston
Oct. 10 at Oklahoma State
Oct. 24 vs. BYU (Homecoming)
Oct. 31 vs. Baylor
Nov. 7 at Kansas
Nov. 14 vs. Arizona State
Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State
Nov. 28 at Colorado