CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini will be getting their season started against the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers on Sept. 5, 2026, per a recent press release from the team.
UAB, a member of the
American Athletic Conference, is a team that will likely look a lot different by the time it comes to Champaign next season.
After starting the season with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer at the helm, the Blazers are currently under the leadership of interim head coach Alex Mortensen, and will likely have a different coach in 2026.
With this announcement, Illinois’s 2026 non-conference schedule is officially finalized. All three of these games will be at Gies Memorial Stadium.
In their second non-conference game, the Illini will wrap up a home-and-home series against the Duke Blue Devils, a team that they beat 45-19 in Week Two of 2025.
The Southern Illinois Salukis, an FCS program from the Missouri Valley Conference, rounds things out for Illinois ahead of Big Ten play.
As for the rest of the schedule, things will not be announced until a later date.
It has been confirmed, however, that Illinois will host Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon and Purdue at Gies Memorial Stadium and will be on the road for games against Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and UCLA in 2026.
