Say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to Michigan football’s plan to play in Germany in 2026.
Michigan announced over the summer it was in talks to open the 2026 season overseas in Germany, however the program said on Wednesday, Nov. 5 it has instead opted to keep the game against Western Michigan at home and open the season as originally scheduled on Sept. 5.
“We did a thorough and exhaustive evaluation in relation to playing an international game,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Based on the analysis of all the factors, we felt it was best to keep the game in Ann Arbor as it was originally scheduled for the 2026 season.
“I want to thank Eintracht Frankfurt and their Stadium Management company for all the work that they did in partnership with our staff to try to make this game a possibility.”
U-M was going to play on Aug. 31 at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany at Deutsche Bank Park, the home field of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German soccer. Instead, Michigan will play all seven “home” games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
While Michigan is pointing to an “analysis of all the factors,” it’s not exactly clear the reasoning for moving the game, though there appear to be a number of things at play, including notable pushback from the fanbase when the potential move was first announced.
Additionally, when U-M announced the plan in July, it had not heard back from the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The following month, the NCAA penalized Michigan with various sanctions.
Most relevantly among them, the loss of revenue from the next two postseasons, which some reports estimate could ultimately be as much as $30 million. With that loss and the advent of revenue-sharing − beginning this year athletic departments are now eligible to directly pay athletes as much as $20.5 million per year − there are tens of millions of dollars in expense and/or lost revenue that the department must offset.
Moving one of eight home games, one of the biggest money makers in the department, would seemingly hinder that, though the Wolverines surely would’ve made some profit off the game in Germany as well.
Additionally, as part of the NCAA’s punishment handed down to U-M for its illegal scouting scandal, coach Sherrone Moore will be suspended for the first game of the 2026 season. Sending the team overseas without Moore could be another hurdle to navigate, but at the end of the day the decision likely came down to dollars.
One source told the Free Press earlier in the fall: “if it makes sense financially, we will do it, if it doesn’t, we won’t.”
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
