The Stanford Cardinal have added the Elon Phoenix to their 2026 football schedule, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Stanford will host Elon at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. The contest will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron and Elon’s first-ever West coast trip.
Elon is a member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Phoenix haven’t claimed a conference championship since 1981 when they were members of the South Atlantic Conference, but have made four appearances in the FCS Playoffs, most recently in 2022.
In other non-conference action in 2026, the Stanford Cardinal are scheduled to host the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at “The Farm” on Saturday, Aug. 29, which is Week Zero that season. Stanford was previously scheduled to visit the San Jose State Spartans to close out the regular-season on Nov. 28, but that game has been rescheduled for Sept. 20, 2031.
The Cardinal were reportedly scheduled to visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2026, but that contest has not been officially announced.
ACC opponents for Stanford for the 2026 season were also announced by the league Tuesday. The Cardinal are slated to host Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, and SMU and travel to California, Duke, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Those opponents are the same as were previously announced by the league, with the exception of the new game at Virginia Tech.
That leaves Stanford with one game to fill on its 2026 slate, which could possibly be the Notre Dame contest.
Elon’s non-conference schedule for the 2026 season also includes contests at Davidson on Sept. 5 and home against Wofford on Oct. 10. The Phoenix will play eight CAA games next season, beginning at Rhode Island on Sept. 12.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES