Hawkeyes Set 2026 Schedule

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa women’s soccer head coach Dean Ward announced the program’s 2026 fall schedule on Thursday. The Hawkeyes’ 21-game slate features nine NCAA Tournament participants, including two exhibition matches and 11 home contests.

Iowa is coming off its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after advancing to the second round and finishing with a 12-5-4 record in 2025.

The Hawkeyes open preseason play with an intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 1 before traveling to Kansas for an exhibition match on Aug. 8.

Iowa officially opens the regular season at the Iowa Soccer Complex, hosting Milwaukee on Aug. 12 and Loyola Chicago on Aug. 15. Milwaukee enters the season off the heels of its eighth straight Horizon League title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Hawkeyes then head to Wake Forest on Aug. 20. The Demon Deacons finished 11-5-4 last season and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. Iowa continues its road swing at UNC Greensboro on Aug. 23 before wrapping up the trip at Iowa State on Aug. 27. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cyclones, 1-0, in 2025 and lead the all-time series, 17-8-2.

Kansas State (Sept. 3) and Missouri State (Sept. 6) visit Iowa City to close out nonconference play.

Iowa opens Big Ten action on the road at Minnesota on Sept. 10 before hosting Nebraska in its conference home opener on Sept. 13. The Golden Gophers finished 6-8-3 in 2025, while the Cornhuskers posted an 8-5-5 mark.

The Hawkeyes then face three straight NCAA Tournament teams, beginning with Illinois on Sept. 18. The Fighting Illini went 13-6-2 last season and finished sixth in the Big Ten standings. Iowa then travels to Penn State (Sept. 24) and Ohio State (Sept. 27). The Nittany Lions reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while the Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Rutgers visits Iowa City on Oct. 4 before the Hawkeyes travel to Washington on Oct. 8 to face the reigning Big Ten champions. The Huskies finished 15-3-7 in 2025 and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Iowa closes its road schedule with matches at Oregon (Oct. 11) and Maryland (Oct. 16).

The Hawkeyes finish the regular season with three consecutive home matches, beginning with UCLA on Oct. 22. The Bruins advanced to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after a 12-5-4 season. USC visits Iowa City on Oct. 25. The Trojans placed 10th in the conference with a 7-7-3 record. Iowa closes the regular season against Wisconsin on Oct. 30. The Badgers finished fifth in the conference standings with a 14-6-2 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 2026 Big Ten Conference Tournament will be held Nov. 4-13 in West Lafayette, Indiana, and hosted by Purdue. The top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the tournament.

 

Date	Opponent	Location	TIME (CT)
Aug. 1	Black vs. Gold	Iowa City, Iowa	5 p.m.
Aug. 8	Kansas (exh.)	Lawrence, Kan.	1 p.m.
Aug. 12	Milwaukee	Iowa City, Iowa	7 p.m.
Aug. 15	Loyola Chicago	Iowa City, Iowa	7 p.m.
Aug. 20	Wake Forest	Winston-Salem, N.C.	4 p.m.
Aug. 23	UNC Greensboro	Greensboro, N.C.	11 a.m.
Aug. 27	Iowa State	Ames, Iowa	6 p.m.
Sept. 3	Kansas State	Iowa City, Iowa	7 p.m.
Sept. 6	Missouri State	Iowa City, Iowa	1 p.m.
Sept. 10	Minnesota	Saint Paul, Minnesota	7 p.m.
Sept. 13	Nebraska	Iowa City, Iowa	1 p.m.
Sept. 18	Illinois	Iowa City, Iowa	5 p.m.
Sept. 24	Penn State	State College, Pa.	6 p.m.
Sept. 27	Ohio State	Columbus, Ohio	11 a.m.
Oct. 4	Rutgers	Iowa City, Iowa	1 p.m.
Oct. 8	Washington	Seattle, Wash.	9 p.m.
Oct. 11	Oregon	Eugene, Ore.	3 p.m.
Oct. 16	Maryland	College Park, Md.	6 p.m.
Oct. 22	UCLA	Iowa City, Iowa	7 p.m.
Oct. 25	USC	Iowa City, Iowa	1 p.m.
Oct. 30	Wisconsin	Iowa City, Iowa	7 p.m.