Virginia football's 2026 opener in Brazil vs NC State has been moved to Charlottesville

Wednesday, Virginia Athletics announced that the 2026 football opener against NC State has moved from Brazil back stateside to Charlottesville. The change was made “following extensive review with operational partners and international stakeholders,” according to a press release from Virginia Athletics.

Our 2026 opener has been relocated home in Charlottesville.

🔗 https://t.co/ucda3gH11O #GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/ggEJKQJQqy
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) June 3, 2026

According to the press release, the decision “follows communication from Athlete Advantage, which informed the ACC and participating schools that the event could not be conducted.” The contest would have been the first FBS game in South America.

The game was originally scheduled for Aug. 29 — called “Week 0” as it takes place before the full first weekend of games for most teams. Virginia, NC State and the ACC have not announced if the new game will remain on that date or if it will move. As of Wednesday, the Cavaliers have a bye week during week one before hosting Norfolk State Sept. 11. It is not impossible for that to change, although some scheduling acrobatics could be involved with other games.

Refunds will be distributed to fans who bought tickets or any event travel packages through the College Football Brasil website. Details on tickets for the new location, Scott Stadium, have not been released at this time. However, the upcoming contest in Charlottesville will undoubtedly be more accessible for local fans.

Virginia has gone 1-6 against NC State dating back to 2007. It is a conference rivalry that has not been played often as of late — the last time these teams played in consecutive seasons was 2011 and 2012, the latter of which was the last time the Cavaliers beat the Wolfpack.

In the most recent matchup from 2025, the Cavaliers lost to the Wolfpack in a 35-31 firefight down in Raleigh, N.C. — which was one of just three losses Virginia suffered last season. However, it was not an ACC game. The two programs decided to arrange a two-year series to fill a non-conference spot, therefore, that game had no bearing on the 2025 ACC standings.

However, the ACC has since moved to a nine-game schedule — so the Cavaliers and NC State decided to play their 2026 opener as an ACC contest. Before this upcoming game, these teams had not played each other in ACC competition since 2023.

The Wolfpack were led by quarterback CJ Bailey, an electric dual-threat quarterback who is returning for his junior season in Raleigh. Virginia, however, will have new starters at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and other positions. Another difference is that star running back Hollywood Smothers left NC State for Texas this offseason. He dominated against the Cavaliers, averaging over eight yards per carry as he tallied 150 total yards and two touchdowns.

The game is now set to return to the Commonwealth for the first time since the 2023 bout in which the Wolfpack won 24-21.

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