HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 3, 2026) … Hampton University will open the 2026 football season at Armstrong Stadium on Aug. 29 against the University of Virginia-Lynchburg, it was announced. It will mark the first game of the Coach Van Malone Era at Hampton. Malone, who spent the last seven years as the assistant head coach at Kansas State, was named Hampton head coach on Dec. 12, 2025.
 
The game will be the third meeting between Virginia-Lynchburg and Hampton. The two teams met in 2018 with the Pirates winning 51-28 and again in 2019 with Hampton posting a 56-6 victory. Both games were at Armstrong Field and were part of Hampton's Homecoming celebration.
 
The Pirates will play five games at Armstrong Stadium, six on the road and will again take on longtime rival Howard at a neutral site, Audi Field, in Washington, D.C. The Pirates celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 24 when Hampton hosts Monmouth.
 
Deposits for 2026 season tickets are being accepted at hamptonpirates.com under the TICKETS tab. Order your tickets now to secure their seats for a season filled with tradition, rivalry and renewed momentum.​
 
2026 HAMPTON PIRATES FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(Home games in bold; neutral sites in double asterisks)
Aug. 29 — VIRGINIA-LYNCHBURG
Sept. 5 — at Maryland
Sept. 12 — BRYANT
Sept. 19 — at Norfolk State
Sept. 26 — CAMPBELL
Oct. 3 — HOWARD (Washington, D.C.) *
Oct. 17 — at Sacred Heart
Oct. 24 — MONMOUTH (Homecoming)
Oct. 31 — at Towson
Nov. 7 — at Elon
Nov. 14 — NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Nov. 21 — at Stony Brook