Michigan Discussing Kicking Off 2026 Football Season in Germany

Michigan is having discussions about kicking off the 2026 football season against Western Michigan in Germany.

The school announced Friday on social media that it is seeking to play at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on Aug. 29, 2026.

It would be the first game the Wolverines would play outside of North America.

Athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement this would be a "first-of-its-kind opportunity" for the Wolverines and their fans.

"The University of Michigan is one of the few worldwide brands in college athletics and the interest in playing an international game would be unique," Manuel said. "This would be a great opportunity to teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany."

Home to Eintracht Frankfurt of Bundesliga, the stadium features a retractable roof with a capacity of 55,000. Deutsche Bank Park has hosted five NFL games, including two regular-season games in 2023.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said they're always looking for unique opportunities for their players, noting the program has been to Italy, France and South Africa over the past decade. The game would require a rescheduling of Michigan's home opener that's currently set for Sept. 5.

"This game would provide another chance to grow our international fanbase," Moore said.

American football isn't new to traveling overseas and this isn't the first time the college game has made its way overseas. There have been bowl games and annual Classics played overseas since 1976. Grambling State beat Morgan State, 42-16, in the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. Grambling would return to Tokyo, defeating Temple in 1977, 35-32.

The Mirage Bowl was an annual bowl game in Japan until 1993, featuring powerhouse programs like Notre Dame, Miami, Nebraska, USC, Oregon and Clemson. The Mirage Bowl was replaced by the Coca-Cola Bowl the following year and was shortly discontinued after two years.

Japan wasn't the only place the NCAA traveled to promote the game. Dublin, Ireland has hosted collegiate games, most recently last season when Georgia Tech upset, at the time, No. 10 Florida State in Week 0. The first game to be played in Ireland was in 1988 between Boston College and Army. Boston College won 38-24.

The collegiate game has traveled as far as Australia, when Colorado State took on Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1987. BYU won 30-26. The Sydney College Football Cup returned in 2016 and 2017; California trounced Hawai'i, 51-21, in 2016. In 2017, Stanford routed Rice, 62-7.

The NFL has also made the move to spread the game overseas, in its "International Series", playing regular-season games in Europe, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Brazil. The first game was in 2007 between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins. The NFL played five games in their "International Series" last season, spanning from Brazil to London to Germany.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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