Ford Field to host CMU-EMU football rivalry in 2026, 2027
MACtion is headed to the Motor City as Central Michigan University and Eastern Michigan University announced on Jan. 21 that the two schools have agreed to play their next two games at Ford Field.
The 2026 contest is expected to take place midweek in November, with EMU serving as the home team. CMU will be the home team in 2027.
“This will be an incredible experience for our student-athletes and fans to be able to participate in two regular-season games at Ford Field in Detroit,” saidCMU's Director of Athletics Amy Folan. “Our goal is to showcase the entire University in one of our most important markets. We have over 70,000 alumni in the metropolitan Detroit region, and we are happy to bring CMU to them to reconnect."
The Chippewas have been no strangers to Ford Field, with the team recently playing its 11th all-time game in the stadium on Dec. 26, 2025, against Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in front of a crowd of 27,857.
“We have enjoyed decades of college football here at Ford Field, and it’s exciting that we’ve been able to add another matchup to the schedule featuring two teams from the Mid-American Conference,” said Brad Michaels, Detroit Lions Vice President of Events.
The two schools are no stranger to each other, as the in-state series remains the longest standing series between two football programs in the Mid-American Conference playing 103 games with CMU leading all-time with a record of 65-32-6.
"We can’t wait to welcome the schools’ athletes, students, staff, alumni and general fans to the Ford Field experience,” Michaels said.
The only time the two teams met at Ford Field was in 2004, when Eastern Michigan narrowly beat CMU 61-58 in a four-overtime thriller.
Tickets for the 2026 game are expected to go on sale this spring.
