So, UVA Football fans are officially losing a home game in 2026, with the announcement on Monday that the Virginia-NC State game will be played in Brazil, as a Week 0 game, on Aug. 29, 2026.
“This is a great opportunity for the University of Virginia and our football program,” said Carla Williams, the athletics director at UVA, the quote coming from a press release sent out by UVA Athletics this morning.
“UVA is already recognized globally, and this event allows us to expand our international presence, both as a leading academic institution and as a premier athletics program. We’re honored to participate in such a historic event and thrilled that Brazil will be our host,” Williams said.
Details of what UVA gets out of sending a home game 17 to 20 hours by flight, including layovers, south, other than the international presence – I’m referring here, obviously, to the money – were not featured in the press release.
I had filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the University of Virginia two weeks ago when word of the Brazil game first surfaced online, and got word back on Nov. 24, a week ago today, that there was no contract then on file.
ICYMI
- UVA Football: 2026 NC State game moving to Brazil? Massive FU to fanbase, if so
- UVA Football: No contract on file for a Virginia-NC State football game in Brazil in 2026
I have a fresh FOIA request in; I’ll expect an answer at the five-working-day deadline a week out from today.
My best guess at the moment is based on the deal that UVA Athletics struck with the Charlotte Sports Foundation for the two-game series with West Virginia for games in 2026 and 2032.
Both programs are guaranteed $2 million per game, with sellouts leading to payouts of $3.31 million per school per contest.
ICYMI
For reference: UVA Athletics brought in around $1.5 million per home game in 2023, the last year that we can find records available online.
I would expect that figure would have pushed up a bit in 2025, with average attendance this season at 48,776 – and the average over the final four home games at 55,139.
The home finale with Virginia Tech this past Saturday drew 58,832, the biggest home crowd since the 2011 finale.
UVA Football averaged 43,293 fans per home game in 2023, with just one game – the season opener with JMU – surpassing the 50,000 mark.
So, yes, UVA Athletics will get more money – the number I heard in the press box a couple of nights ago was a $3 million guarantee – for moving the State game to Brazil.
And then there’s the “international presence” aspect, which you can’t put a dollar figure on.
*I hope you can sense the dripping sarcasm there.
At this writing, the UVA Football program is one win away from a College Football Playoff berth, on the strength of getting to double digits in wins for just the second time in program history – the other 10-win season: way back in 1989.
This offseason would be printin’ money time for the folks in the ticket office.
As it is now, they have a mere six-game home schedule to sell – and the six games include Norfolk State, Delaware, Cal, Syracuse.
The marquee games, such as there are marquee games, are Duke and UNC.
No Virginia Tech, no Clemson, no FSU, no marquee nonconference game.
Now they’re going to be buzzing you with the details of the travel packages available at CollegeFootballBrasil.com, with prices starting at $2,495 (single) to $3,295 (double) for the poors, and $3,945 (single) to $4,945 (double) for the Platinum package, which includes a premium hotel with a breakfast buffet, preferred game seating and ground transportation to the game.
For the $2,495, I guess, you’re on your own, in terms of breakfast and also getting to the game.
I’d be careful just getting into a car and assuming it’s your Uber.
Reading the fine print, those prices don’t include airfare – you’ll need to budget another $1,185 to $1,351 per ticket to get there and back.
Which, I mean, when you think about it, entirely doable for the average UVA fan – you and the spouse, or you and your buddy, can get there and back for around $5,700 if you go the cheap route, and if you want to go balls to the wall, well, that’ll only set you back around $7,500.
Obviously, this isn’t about having actual UVA Football fans making the trek – we’ll have some of our 1 percenters there, no doubt.
I’m not even sure it’s about the money, though, sure, UVA Athletics gets an extra million or two for the coffers for fiscal year 2026.
I’d expect the operating revenues for FY 2026 to end up being in the vicinity of $200 million, so, an extra million or two is basically a rounding error.
No, seems to me that, everything about why we’re moving a home game to the other side of the world is summed up in the “international presence” line in the press release.
Basically, it’s UVA being UVA.
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Chris Graham
