Texas soccer begins a new era in 2026 with a schedule featuring nine opponents who reached the NCAA tournament last season.

First-year head coach Margueritte Bates, who takes over the program after a four-year stint at UCLA, will lead the Longhorns through a 17-match regular season, including eight games at Mike A. Myers Stadium. 

“From start to finish, our schedule will challenge and test our group as we work to establish our identity as a team that plays a thoughtful brand and is difficult to break down,” Bates said in a Texas Athletics news release.

In their 2025 campaign, the Longhorns finished 4–12–1 and failed to qualify for the Southeastern Conference tournament after winning the conference tournament the previous season. Losing six of its seven leading scorers from its 2024 squad, Texas saw a younger roster take on significant roles last season, a prime reason for the struggles in former head coach Angela Kelly’s last of 14 seasons with the program.

Now turning a page with Bates on board, the Longhorns will open the regular season on Wednesday against Houston Christian at home. Afterward, they will head on a three-game road trip for an early stretch that will test Texas away from Austin. Bates’ team will travel to Pittsburgh on Aug. 16, Arizona State on Aug. 20 and Grand Canyon on Aug. 23. The Longhorns will then return home for matchups against Baylor on Aug. 27 and Incarnate Word on Aug. 30.

Texas will close nonconference play Sept. 6 against TCU in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs reached the national semifinals last season, adding another high-caliber opponent to an already demanding slate, before conference play even opens.

SEC play will begin soon after on Sept. 10 at Arkansas, the defending conference champion. Including the Razorbacks, Texas will play five SEC opponents that made the NCAA Tournament during the regular season. Against these teams, the Longhorns will face two at home, Tennessee and LSU, while having to face Kentucky and Vanderbilt away. 

“We look forward to our staff’s welcome to the SEC in Fayetteville,” Bates said in a Texas Athletics news release. “The team is eager to get on the field and compete!”

Bates established herself as one of the top coaches in the country at UCLA before arriving in Austin. She led the Bruins to two conference titles and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while compiling a 67–13–9 record. She also became the first rookie head coach to win the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship in 2022.

It seems she won’t shy away from the challenge as her team works to establish its identity. 

With a difficult nonconference slate and a down year last time around, Texas enters the 2026 season with plenty to prove.