UVA’s football opener against NC State will still be played Week 0

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Virginia’s 2026 football opener against NC State will retain its Aug. 29 date in Week 0, the schools and the ACC announced Tuesday.

Scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. in Charlottesville, the contest was originally set for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the first college football game ever staged in South America. But event organizers and the schools abandoned those plans earlier this month.

UVA-NC State game in Brazil scrapped, relocated to Charlottesville

Since Week 0 is reserved for international venues and stateside games involving at least one team that plays later in the season at Hawaii, Virginia, NC State, the conference and ESPN had to petition the NCAA Football Oversight Committee to keep the Aug. 29 date.

That approval came Tuesday.

The only other Week 0 matchup showcasing two Power Four opponents is North Carolina-Texas Christian in Dublin, Ireland. That contest kicks at noon, followed by UVA-NC State, with both ticketed for ESPN.

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