Nine teams from Chestnut Hill to Palo Alto, eight conference games each, a true single round robin, and a regular season that is over before Halloween. Here is the full ACC field hockey schedule, nonconference included.
Table of Contents
- How ACC field hockey works in 2026
- Opening weekend, August 28 to 31
- Week 2, September 4 to 6
- Week 3, September 11 to 13
- Conference week 1, September 17 to 20
- Conference week 2, September 22 to 27
- Conference week 3, October 2 to 6
- Conference week 4, October 9 to 11
- Conference week 5, October 16 to 18
- Conference week 6, October 23 to 26
- Conference week 7, October 29 and 30
- The games the composite is missing
- ACC Championship
- NCAA Tournament
- Games to circle in 2026
- ACC field hockey 2026 FAQ
- Dig deeper
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. Blank cells mean no network is listed yet. Where a game is played at a third school’s field, the site is noted in the match line.
How ACC field hockey works in 2026
Nine of the ACC’s eighteen schools sponsor field hockey: Boston College, California, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest. That number makes the league tidy in a way most conferences are not. Everyone plays everyone once, eight conference games apiece, 36 in all, from September 18 to October 30. No pods, no unbalanced draw, no tiebreak arguments about who dodged whom.
The catch is the postseason. The ACC Championship is an eight-team bracket and the league has nine teams, so one program finishes the round robin and goes home. In 2025 that was Boston College.
North Carolina arrives as the nine-time reigning conference champion and the preseason pick to make it ten. The coaches poll: North Carolina 73 points and four first-place votes, Virginia 68 with two, Duke and Wake Forest tied on 64, then Syracuse, Boston College, Stanford, Louisville and California. Wake Forest returns the reigning ACC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Mia Schoenbeck and Mia Montag. Virginia brings back Goalkeeper of the Year Nilou Lempers. Five ACC teams finished last season ranked nationally.
California and Stanford make this a coast-to-coast league in a sport that mostly lives between Boston and Chapel Hill. Their eastern trips, and everyone else’s flights west, shape the entire back half of the calendar. Four of Wake Forest’s last five conference games are on the road, two of them in the Bay Area.
Opening weekend, August 28 to 31
Wake Forest hosts the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in Winston-Salem, which is why North Carolina opens against Michigan and Iowa on a field that is not theirs. The Tar Heels have started against those two nearly every year since 2002.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Miami (OH) at Louisville | Aug 28 | 12:00 | ACCNX |
| Syracuse at Fairfield | Aug 28 | 3:00 | YouTube |
| Providence at Boston College | Aug 28 | 3:00 | ACCNX |
| North Carolina vs Michigan (Winston-Salem) | Aug 28 | 3:30 | |
| William & Mary at Duke | Aug 28 | 5:00 | |
| Iowa at Wake Forest | Aug 28 | 6:00 | |
| UMass Lowell at Stanford | Aug 28 | 7:00 | ACCNX |
| American at California | Aug 28 | 9:00 | ACCNX |
| North Carolina vs Iowa (Winston-Salem) | Aug 30 | 11:00 AM | |
| Boston College at UAlbany | Aug 30 | 12:00 | AE.TV |
| Duke at Richmond | Aug 30 | 12:00 | |
| Syracuse at Northeastern | Aug 30 | 12:00 | FloSports |
| Michigan at Wake Forest | Aug 30 | 2:00 | |
| American at Stanford | Aug 30 | 2:00 | ACCNX |
| Indiana at Louisville | Aug 30 | 2:00 | ACCNX |
| Central Michigan at California | Aug 30 | 4:00 | ACCNX |
| Central Michigan at Stanford | Aug 31 | 3:00 | ACCNX |
Week 2, September 4 to 6
The ACC-Big Ten crossover splits into two pods. Boston College hosts one, with Duke, Northwestern and Maryland. Rutgers hosts the other, with Syracuse, Ohio State and Virginia.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Louisville at Saint Louis | Sep 4 | 2:30 | |
| Bellarmine at Stanford | Sep 4 | 3:00 | |
| Duke vs Northwestern (Chestnut Hill) | Sep 4 | 3:00 | |
| Syracuse vs Ohio State (Piscataway) | Sep 4 | 5:00 | |
| Penn at North Carolina | Sep 4 | 6:00 | ACCNX |
| Maryland at Boston College | Sep 4 | 6:00 | |
| Duke vs Maryland (Chestnut Hill) | Sep 6 | 11:00 AM | |
| Ohio at Wake Forest | Sep 6 | 12:00 | |
| Louisville at Michigan State | Sep 6 | 12:00 | |
| Princeton at North Carolina | Sep 6 | 12:30 | ACC Network |
| Syracuse at Rutgers | Sep 6 | 2:00 | |
| Northwestern at Boston College | Sep 6 | 2:00 | |
| Columbia at California | Sep 6 | 4:00 |
Week 3, September 11 to 13
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Maine vs Boston College (Lowell) | Sep 11 | 12:00 | |
| Louisville at Northwestern | Sep 11 | 3:00 | |
| Old Dominion at North Carolina | Sep 11 | 5:00 | ACCNX |
| VCU at Wake Forest | Sep 11 | 5:00 | |
| James Madison at Duke | Sep 11 | 5:00 | |
| Stanford at Holy Cross | Sep 11 | 6:00 | |
| California at Michigan | Sep 11 | 8:00 | |
| California at Michigan State | Sep 13 | TBA | |
| Stanford at Northeastern | Sep 13 | TBA | |
| Syracuse at Bucknell | Sep 13 | 12:00 | |
| Wake Forest at App State | Sep 13 | 12:00 | |
| North Carolina at Richmond | Sep 13 | 12:00 | |
| Louisville vs Iowa (Evanston) | Sep 13 | 12:00 | |
| Boston College at Harvard | Sep 13 | 1:00 | |
| VCU at Duke | Sep 13 | 1:00 |
Conference week 1, September 17 to 20
Two conference games on the 18th, two more on the 20th, and the league’s marquee early meeting lands in the first week: preseason No. 2 at preseason No. 1, on ACC Network.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Northwestern at Stanford | Sep 17 | 9:00 | |
| UMass Lowell at Syracuse | Sep 18 | 3:00 | ACCNX |
| Wake Forest at Delaware | Sep 18 | 4:00 | |
| Virginia at Duke | Sep 18 | 6:00 | |
| Boston College at Louisville | Sep 18 | 6:00 | |
| California vs Northwestern (Davis) | Sep 19 | 5:00 | |
| Boston College at Ohio State | Sep 20 | 12:00 | |
| Saint Joseph’s at Louisville | Sep 20 | 12:00 | |
| Virginia at North Carolina | Sep 20 | 12:00 | ACC Network |
| Wake Forest at Maryland | Sep 20 | 12:00 |
Conference week 2, September 22 to 27
North Carolina spends the weekend in California. Louisville makes the same trip and tacks on UC Davis.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| UC Davis at Stanford | Sep 22 | 9:00 | |
| Syracuse at Virginia | Sep 25 | 4:00 | |
| Duke at Wake Forest | Sep 25 | 5:00 | |
| Louisville at California | Sep 25 | 5:00 | |
| North Carolina at Stanford | Sep 25 | 9:00 | |
| Syracuse at Wake Forest | Sep 27 | 12:00 | |
| Boston College at Duke | Sep 27 | 1:00 | |
| Louisville at UC Davis | Sep 27 | 1:30 | |
| North Carolina at California | Sep 27 | 4:00 |
Conference week 3, October 2 to 6
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Stanford at Virginia | Oct 2 | TBA | |
| Syracuse at Duke | Oct 2 | 3:00 | |
| North Carolina at Louisville | Oct 2 | 3:00 | |
| Wake Forest at Boston College | Oct 2 | 5:00 | |
| California at VCU | Oct 2 | 6:00 | |
| Stanford at Louisville | Oct 4 | 12:00 | |
| Saint Joseph’s at Duke | Oct 4 | 12:00 | |
| Wake Forest at Harvard | Oct 4 | 12:00 | |
| Northeastern at Boston College | Oct 4 | 2:00 | |
| California at Virginia | Oct 4 | 3:00 | |
| Bellarmine at Louisville | Oct 6 | 6:00 |
Stanford and California cross the country together for this one, then split up: the Cardinal to Charlottesville and Louisville, the Bears to Richmond and Charlottesville.
Conference week 4, October 9 to 11
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Louisville at Syracuse | Oct 9 | 1:30 | ACCNX |
| North Carolina at Saint Joseph’s | Oct 9 | 3:00 | |
| Virginia at Boston College | Oct 9 | 6:00 | |
| Wake Forest at California | Oct 9 | 9:00 | |
| Duke at Stanford | Oct 9 | 9:00 | |
| Wake Forest at Stanford | Oct 11 | 12:00 | |
| Boston University at Boston College | Oct 11 | 12:00 | |
| North Carolina at Liberty | Oct 11 | 1:00 | |
| Harvard at Syracuse | Oct 11 | 1:00 | ACCNX |
| Duke at California | Oct 11 | 3:00 |
The ACC composite lists Wake Forest at California twice, at 6:00 and 9:00. Cal’s own schedule has it at 6:00 p.m. Pacific, which is the 9:00 Eastern listing.
Conference week 5, October 16 to 18
The lightest week on the calendar, and the only Saturday conference game of the season.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Stanford at UC Davis | Oct 16 | TBA | |
| Virginia at Wake Forest | Oct 16 | 6:00 | |
| Boston College at North Carolina | Oct 16 | 6:00 | ACCNX |
| Duke at Louisville | Oct 17 | 1:00 | |
| Davidson at Wake Forest | Oct 18 | 12:00 | |
| Syracuse at North Carolina | Oct 18 | 2:00 | ACC Network |
| California at UC Davis | Oct 18 | 4:00 |
Conference week 6, October 23 to 26
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| Louisville at Virginia | Oct 23 | 3:00 | |
| California at Boston College | Oct 23 | 4:00 | |
| Stanford at Syracuse | Oct 23 | 5:00 | ACCNX |
| Wake Forest at North Carolina | Oct 23 | 6:00 | ACCNX |
| Stanford at Boston College | Oct 25 | 12:00 | |
| James Madison at Wake Forest | Oct 25 | 12:00 | |
| Duke at Liberty | Oct 25 | 1:00 | |
| Louisville at Richmond | Oct 25 | 1:00 | |
| North Carolina at App State | Oct 25 | 1:00 | |
| California at Syracuse | Oct 26 | 3:00 |
The composite still carries an old October 25 listing for California at Syracuse with an ACC Network tag. Cal’s schedule has the game on Monday, October 26 at 3:00. Take the Monday date and treat the network as unconfirmed.
Conference week 7, October 29 and 30
Four games to finish it, and the last one is the one that usually matters.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
| California at Stanford | Oct 29 | 9:00 | |
| Boston College at Syracuse | Oct 30 | 4:30 | ACCNX |
| Louisville at Wake Forest | Oct 30 | 5:00 | |
| North Carolina at Duke | Oct 30 | 6:00 | ACC Network |
The games the composite is missing
Virginia appears on the ACC composite schedule only in conference games. The Cavaliers do have a nonconference slate, announced in July, and it is worth writing into your calendar by hand:
- At Penn State, August 28 (season opener)
- Ohio State and Rutgers at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in New Brunswick, N.J., September 4 to 6
- Liberty at home, September 11
- James Madison at home, September 13
- Monmouth at home, October 19
That is 14 regular-season games in all for Virginia, six of them at home. Start times and broadcast selections go up on the school site as they are confirmed.
ACC Championship
North Carolina hosts, at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, for the first time since 2020. The league lists the tournament for November 3, 4 and 6, with UNC’s own release putting the semifinals on November 5, so check before you book anything. It is an eight-team bracket seeded off the round robin, which means one of the nine is out before it starts, and the winner takes the automatic NCAA bid.
The Tar Heels have won nine straight and are chasing a 29th ACC title overall. Virginia has not won one outright since 2016.
NCAA Tournament
First and second rounds are November 13 and 15 at the campus sites of the top four national seeds. The final four and the national championship go to Louisville’s Trager Stadium on November 20 and 22, which gives the Cardinals a home-field carrot and gives the rest of the league a familiar destination.
Northwestern is the defending national champion, its third title in five years. Sixteen of the past 24 champions have come from the ACC, and the league has put at least one team in the final four in 36 of the past 37 years.
Games to circle in 2026
- North Carolina at Duke, October 30. The regular season ends on Tobacco Road on ACC Network, with seeding almost certainly on the line.
- Virginia at North Carolina, September 20. Preseason No. 2 at preseason No. 1, on ACC Network, in the first week of conference play. The league rarely front-loads like this.
- North Carolina at Stanford, September 25, and at California, September 27. The nine-time champions spend a weekend three time zones from home. A 9:00 p.m. Eastern start in Palo Alto is the kind of thing this conference now does routinely.
- Duke at Wake Forest, September 25. The two teams tied for third in the preseason poll, in Winston-Salem, on the first Friday of conference play.
- Boston College at North Carolina, October 16. The team that missed last year’s ACC bracket, at the team that has won nine straight.
- Wake Forest at North Carolina, October 23. Wake was 7-1 in the league last season and lost the one that counted.
- California at Stanford, October 29. The Big Game, field hockey edition, under the lights on the Farm. Cal took last year’s meeting 3-1.
- California at Syracuse, October 26. The only Monday conference game of the year, and the last long flight anybody makes.
ACC field hockey 2026 FAQ
When does ACC conference play start? September 18, with Virginia at Duke and Boston College at Louisville. The regular season ends October 30.
How many conference games does each team play? Eight. Nine teams, 36 conference games, a full single round robin. Everybody plays everybody once.
Which ACC schools play field hockey? Nine of the eighteen: Boston College, California, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest.
Who is the favorite? North Carolina, which took four of nine first-place votes and 73 points in the preseason coaches poll. Virginia was second with 68, Duke and Wake Forest tied for third with 64.
Is there an ACC tournament? Yes, November 3 to 6 at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill. Eight of the nine teams qualify, seeded by conference record, and the winner gets the automatic NCAA bid.
Where can I watch? Most games stream on ACC Network Extra, with a handful on ACC Network, including Virginia at North Carolina, Syracuse at North Carolina and the October 30 finale at Duke.
Dig deeper
- Back a player. How fans can back field hockey players in the NIL era, 90 percent of what you send reaches them directly
- See the whole league. The ACC hub has every school and every sport
- Find your school. Every college with a field hockey program on the platform
- Know the market. ACC NIL deals, across the conference
- Know the sport. Field hockey is quietly producing college sports’ hardest-working athletes
- Rosters without borders. Field hockey in the USA, and how international students handle NIL
- Read the rest of the ACC. The 2026 ACC women’s soccer, ACC men’s soccer and ACC volleyball schedules
Times Eastern and subject to change. Schedule fr
