By Packy Moore
November 06, 2024
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With a large and growing Mountaineer fan base in the Charlotte, North Carolina region, West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker has announced that WVU football has added two additional games in the Queen City.
The Mountaineers will play the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026, and again on Sept. 4, 2032. These two games are in addition to the previously announced 2028 game against the Tennessee Volunteers in Charlotte.
“The Charlotte region has a huge amount of WVU alumni, and adding these two games allows us to further engage our fans in the region, while putting a quality ACC regional opponent on our schedule,” Baker said. “Our players get to play in a great NFL football stadium and working with the Charlotte Sports Foundation over the years has proved to be a great partnership.”
“We are thrilled to host the Cavaliers and Mountaineers in 2026 and 2032,” said Charlotte Sports Foundation executive director Danny Morrison. “We can’t wait to roll out the red carpet for two great fan bases and welcome them to the Queen City!”
In adding the two games against Virginia, West Virginia has notified East Carolina that it will use the cancellation clause in the contract with the Pirates to cancel the previously scheduled Sept. 19, 2026, game in Greenville, North Carolina.
“In today’s ever-changing landscape of college athletics, the financial aspect of adding these two games in Charlotte is far too important for us to pass up,” Baker added. “Aside from all the positives of playing a neutral site game in Charlotte, we have a fiscal responsibility to our future, and adding these two games makes strong financial sense for our department.
“We have had positive and constructive conversations with our colleagues at East Carolina, and we are committed to helping and working with them to find a replacement for their home game in 2026.”
West Virginia last played Virginia in 2002 when the Cavaliers defeated the Mountaineers 48-22 in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte. Virginia holds a 12-10-1 advantage all-time in the border series, and the two teams last met in the regular season in 1985. The 2032 contest will mark the 30th year since that inaugural bowl game which has gone on to become a successful yearly tradition in Charlotte.
The three neutral site games in Charlotte do not affect WVU’s future home schedules as the Mountaineers will continue to play a minimum of six home games yearly in Morgantown. Aside from the two games against Virginia, Baker also announced that the Mountaineers have added a nonconference home game against Robert Morris on Sept. 15, 2029. The game with Robert Morris is in addition to the nonconference matchup against the Colonials next season, which was previously announced.
About Charlotte Sports Foundation
The mission of the Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF), a 501(c)(3), is to provide leadership for sports-based initiatives that result in a positive impact on the economy and quality of life in the Charlotte region. CSF was created in the spring of 2013 as a combined entity of Charlotte’s two primary sports development groups, Charlotte Collegiate Football and the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. Its origins can be traced to the vision of Charlotte civic leaders after the very successful hosting of the 1994 NCAA Men’s Final Four.
The Foundation also provides support for recruitment and operation of other local sporting events, and spearheads Charlotte’s continued growth as a preferred host for premier national and regional sporting events. The events include college basketball’s Jumpman Invitational presented by Novant Health, the Ally Tipoff, college football’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, ACC Football Championship Game and Duke’s Mayo Classic, the Charlotte Invitational, and the Meck Mile presented by Albemarle.
The Board of Directors that guides the Charlotte Sports Foundation boasts a dynamic roster of top Charlotte civic and business leaders. Please visit www.CharlotteSports.org for more information.
COURTESY WEST VIRGINIA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
