The University of Virginia football program will open next season with the longest trip — barely — in its 138-year history.
UVA and NC State have agreed to move their scheduled game in Charlottesville to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the schools announced Monday morning. The Saturday, Aug. 29 — Week 0 — ACC contest will be the first overseas for both programs and the inaugural college football event in South America.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“This is a great opportunity for the University of Virginia and our football program,” Virginia athletic director Carla Williams said in a statement. “UVA is already recognized globally, and this event allows us to expand our international presence, both as a leading academic institution and as a premier athletics program. We’re honored to participate in such a historic event and thrilled that Brazil will be our host.”
An ESPN network will televise the game, set for Nilton Santos Stadium, the renowned soccer venue that also was a centerpiece of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The official news confirms a report two weeks ago by Pack Pride’s R. Cory Smith.
Williams and her Wolfpack counterpart, Boo Corrigan, agreed in 2024 to play a two-game series that would not count in the conference standings. Their rationale: The longtime rivals played too infrequently under the ACC’s scheduling model.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementState defeated Virginia in September at Carter-Finley Stadium, and the programs were set to collide in another nonconference game next season at Scott Stadium. But coinciding with the ACC’s move from an eight- to nine-game league schedule in 2026, the outcome in Rio will count toward the conference standings.
The schools and promoters did not reveal Monday the game contract’s financial terms.
“To have NC State and Virginia open our conference schedule on an international stage in Rio de Janeiro speaks to the vision, innovation, and collaboration of our league,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said in the release. “This is an extraordinary moment for the ACC and for college football.”
In 2000, the final year of George Welsh’s Hall of Fame coaching tenure at UVA, the Cavaliers closed the season in the Oahu Classic in Honolulu against Georgia. According to Travelmath.com, 4,772 miles separate Charlottesville and the Hawaiian capital.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPer the same website, the distance from Charlottesville to Rio is 4,775 miles.
Virginia and NC State aren’t the only ACC teams opening 2026 overseas. On the same day, North Carolina and Texas Christian will play in Dublin, Ireland.
David Teel, [email protected]
AdvertisementAdvertisement
