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Michigan reverses course, won’t open 2026 season in Germany

Anthony Broomeby: Anthony Broome9 hours agoanthonytbroome
NCAA Football: Bowling Green at Michigan
Sep 16, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; General view of the kick off between the Michigan Wolverines and the Bowling Green Falcons in the first half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Michigan Wolverines and Western Michigan Broncos will no longer open the 2026 season in Frankfurt, Germany, U-M Athletics announces on Wednesday afternoon.

In July, Michigan announced its intention to pursue a chance to open next season at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt against the Broncos, moving the game up to Week 0. Ultimately, they have decided to keep the game between in-state programs as i,s with the season kicking off on Sept. 5 as originally intended.

“We did a thorough and exhaustive evaluation in relation to playing an international game,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement on Wednesday. “Based on the analysis of all the factors, we felt it was best to keep the game in Ann Arbor as it was originally scheduled for the 2026 season. I want to thank Eintracht Frankfurt and their Stadium Management company for all the work that they did in partnership with our staff to try to make this game a possibility.”

However, the possibility of playing a game on international soil is still something that will be explored down the road, Manuel said. No timetable has been given for when that could occur.

“We have fans and alumni around the globe, and many have expressed excitement about attending a game on foreign soil,” Manuel said. We remain open to exploring the right opportunities for our teams to play internationally.”

The move helps Michigan preserve eight home games for the 2026 season with Western Michigan, Oklahoma, UTEP, Penn State, Michigan State, UCLA, Indiana and Iowa all set to come play in Ann Arbor next year. U-M will play Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers and Ohio State on the road. Dates have not been set yet outside of Western Michigan (Sept. 5), Oklahoma (Sept. 12) and UTEP (Sept. 19).

Michigan announced in July it was in discussions for a trip to Germany to play in the home of Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga, citing an opportunity to spread the brand.

“We are in advanced discussions to create this first-of-its-kind opportunity for our student-athletes and fans,” Manuel said originally. “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. This would be a great opportunity to teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany.”

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore will serve a one-game suspension to start the season against Western Michigan as the final sanction for his case with the NCAA over deleted texts in the sign-stealing saga.