Charlotte – For the first time in football program history, the Charlotte 49ers will host an SEC team.
Hot off its first bowl bid, Charlotte has announced a home-and-home series with Ole Miss during the 2026 and 2027 football seasons. Ole Miss will travel to Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson Stadium, Sept. 12, 2026 and the 49ers will head to Oxford, Miss. for a road contest, Sept. 4, 2027 at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. Game dates are subject to change.
“What an incredible opportunity for Niner Nation to enjoy an SEC opponent on our campus, and then make a return trip to one of the most legendary settings in college football -- The Grove,” said Mike Hill, Charlotte 49ers Director of Athletics. “As our program continues its competitive ascent, expect to see more exciting match-ups of this caliber.”
“Anytime you’re competing against the Southeastern Conference, you’re obviously talking about the big time,” said 49ers head coach Will Healy. “It’s huge for our student-athlete experience to play in those types of ACC and SEC atmospheres, but also great to get those programs to our place. It’s a priority for us to continue to build the fan experience here, and having Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and now Ole Miss coming to our place is a great way to do that.”
Ole Miss is the first SEC team to schedule a game at Charlotte. The 49ers have played at Kentucky (2015) and Tennessee (2018) and are scheduled to play at Tennessee this coming season, at South Carolina in 2022, at Florida in 2023, and at Georgia during the 2025 season.
Charlotte has played a team from a Power Five conference in each of its five seasons at the FBS level and has such a team currently scheduled from 2020 through 2027 with home games slated for the 2021, 2022, 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Next season, ACC member Duke becomes the first Power Five school to play at Charlotte. The 49ers will also host the Big Ten’s Maryland in 2022 and the ACC’s North Carolina in 2025 before welcoming Ole Miss in 2026.
In other schedule news, the 49ers will now host Gardner Webb in 2021 in place of a previously scheduled contest with Duquesne.
Thanks to a five-game win streak to close the regular season, Charlotte posted a 7-6 record (5-3 in Conference USA) and advanced to the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl in 2019. It was the 49ers first-ever bowl appearance and came in Healy’s first season at the helm.
Charlotte vs. Ole Miss Series Details:
September 12, 2026 – Charlotte, N.C. (Jerry Richardson Stadium)
September 4, 2027 – Oxford, Miss. (Vaught Hemingway Stadium)
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