STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford has revealed its 2026 men’s soccer schedule, an exciting 15-game slate that includes 10 regular season matches and three exhibitions at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
“We are incredibly excited to announce the 2026 schedule,” said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer. “One can never guarantee how our opponents will look each season but based on history this could be the toughest schedule in college soccer. We’ll play against a variety of styles to start the season and then move into the ACC cauldron against teams we have created intense rivalries with. All in all, we will play ten programs that participated in the NCAA tournament last year in what promises to be another enthralling campaign.”
The fall begins with three preseason friendlies, as the Cardinal welcomes Cal State Bakersfield (Aug. 8), Sacramento State (Aug. 12), and Cal Poly (Aug. 15) to The Farm.
Stanford opens the regular season with four consecutive matches, beginning with Grand Canyon on Aug. 20. The Cardinal will then host Denver (Aug. 23), San Diego (Aug. 27), and UC Davis (Aug. 30). Each of Stanford’s first three opponents reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
The Cardinal’s first road test comes on Sept. 4 against Bay Area rival San Jose State, before returning home to play CSUN on September 7.
Conference play begins with the Cardinal’s first trip to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina on Sept. 11, with action returning to The Farm with a contest against Santa Clara on September 15.
Notre Dame visits Cagan Stadium on September 20 for the first time since the “Miracle from Midfield,” when Dylan Hooper scored from beyond the midfield line with one second remaining to lift the Cardinal past the Fighting Irish in the 2024 ACC Tournament.
The conference slate continues with a home clash against Virginia on Sept. 25, ahead of a return trip to the East Coast to take on Duke on October 2.
October 11 features another marquee ACC matchup against Clemson, as the Tigers visit Stanford for the first time to continue a budding rivalry that has featured multiple postseason meetings in recent years.
The Cardinal will play back-to-back road matches against SMU (Oct. 16) and 2025 College Cup finalist NC State (Oct. 24), before hosting the Big Clásico on October 30 against California in the regular season finale.
The postseason begins on November 4 with the opening round of the ACC Tournament, which runs through the conference championship on November 15. The NCAA Tournament is slated to begin on November 19, with the College Cup scheduled for December 11-14.
Fans place a season ticket deposit for the 2026 Stanford men’s soccer season here.
All dates, times, and opponents are subject to change. Fans can visit GoStanford.com for the most up-to-date schedule information.