Cal Football Announces 2026 ACC Opponents

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2026 football conference opponents on Tuesday afternoon, unveiling California’s regular season conference slate for next season.

The Golden Bears will host Clemson, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest at California Memorial Stadium next year while traveling to NC State, SMU, Syracuse and Virginia in ACC play.

2026 marks the first year the ACC will implement a nine-game conference model for its members. Cal is one of 12 ACC teams to face nine conference opponents next season as a part of the new scheduling parameters.

Cal’s 2026 ACC home and away breakdown is included below. All dates and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

2026 Cal Football ACC Schedule:
(Home games bolded)

·         Clemson

·         Pitt

·         Stanford

·         Virginia Tech

·         Wake Forest

·         NC State

·         SMU

·         Syracuse

·         Virginia

Below is a brief breakdown of the Bears’ 2026 ACC home game opponents:

Clemson

The Golden Bears will face Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers for the first time since the 1992 Citrus Bowl, where the Bears won 37-13. 2026 will mark the first time these two teams will face off in the regular season first appearance at California Memorial Stadium.

Pittsburgh

Cal will face the Panthers for the seventh time in program history. 2026 will be the first meeting in Berkeley since 1966, when the Bears won 30-15. The Panthers finished the 2025 regular season with an 8-4 record.

Stanford

In the 129th edition of the Big Game, the Bears will host rival Stanford in one of the oldest rivalries on the west coast. Cal has won the previous two Big Games at California Memorial Stadium.

Virginia Tech

The Hokies and new head coach James Franklin are set to travel to Strawberry Canyon for the first time in 2026. The first two matchups in the series history were in the high-scoring 2003 Insight Bowl and this past season’s matchup in Blacksburg.

Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons will travel to California Memorial Stadium for the first time in 2026. In the first-ever matchup in 2024, the Bears won 46-36 in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest finished the 2025 regular season with an 8-4 record.