ORLANDO – UCF women’s soccer head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak announced the program’s full 2026 schedule on Thursday, marking the Knights’ fourth season competing in the Big 12 Conference.
Coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago, the fall slate features 18 regular season matches that will be preceded by a pair of preseason exhibition contests. Following the two exhibitions, the Knights will play seven non-conference games followed by 11 Big 12 Conference fixtures. In all, the Black and Gold will face six opponents that reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago with five of those being conference foes.
UCF will enter the 2026 campaign off a 12-4-5 record a season ago and tying for its best finish in the program’s Big 12 era by taking sixth with a 5-1-5 league record and 20 points. The 2025 Knights then earned the program’s 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the second round with an opening-round home win over Maine.
EXHIBITION SLATE
Before getting the season underway, the Knights will take part in two preseason exhibitions in preparation for the season. UCF will first play at Jacksonville on Aug. 5 followed by a home scrimmage against FGCU on Saturday, Aug. 8. The pair of in-state foes combined for 20 wins a season ago.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The Black and Gold will officially open their 2026 campaign with an Opening Knight home match against the Florida Gators on Thursday, Aug. 13 at UCF Soccer Complex. The in-state foes will face one another for the fifth time in the past six seasons. UCF will enter the game unbeaten against the Gators over the last six matches between the two.
The Knights will face their second straight SEC opponent in match number two when they head to Baton Rouge to take on LSU on Aug. 20. UCF bested the Tigers in Orlando last season by a score of 2-1 thanks to a brace from Gabi Berchon, which included a last-second goal from the midfielder. LSU won 15 games a season ago and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
UCF will continue the road trip with a rivalry matchup at South Florida on Aug. 23. The Knights and Bulls will do battle for the 18th consecutive season. The Black and Gold have won three of the last four meetings between the two.
The Knights will return home to face another American Conference opponent in UAB on Aug. 27. A season ago, the Black and Gold bested the Blazers on Opening Knight by a score of 2-1 in Birmingham. UAB had a winning record in 2025 with a 7-6-6 mark.
UCF will then play a pair of road matches the following week that will take them up and down the East Coast. The Knights will first head south to take on Sunshine State opponent FIU on Sept. 3 in Miami. The match will mark the 37th all-time meeting between the two and UCF holds a commanding 29-5-2 lead in the all-time series.
The Black and Gold will cap the trip by heading to Rhode Island to face Ivy League foe Brown on Sept. 6. The fixture will mark just the second all-time meeting between the Knights and Bears.
UCF will then close non-conference play on Sept. 10 in Orlando versus its fourth and final in-state opponent of the regular season in North Florida. The Knights and Ospreys will meet for the second consecutive season and fifth time overall. The Black and Gold are a perfect 4-0 against UNF after claiming a 2-0 win in Jacksonville a season ago.
BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAY
The Knights will play 11 Big 12 Conference matches over the next eight weeks. UCF will play six of those at home and five on the road.
The Black and Gold will open their conference season by hosting Texas Tech on Sept. 17. The Knights will cap their conference slate at home against Iowa State on Nov. 5. UCF will also welcome Colorado (Oct. 2), Oklahoma State (Oct. 11), Cincinnati (Oct. 22) and Houston (Oct. 25) to UCF Soccer Complex during the season, as well as BYU (Sept. 24), Utah (Sept. 27), TCU (Oct. 8), West Virginia (Oct. 16) and Kansas State (Oct. 30) on the road.
TCU won the Big 12 last season while BYU went on to win the Big 12 Tournament title. TCU, BYU, Colorado, Texas Tech and West Virginia all made the 2025 NCAA Tournament along with UCF. TCU advanced all the way to the College Cup semifinal.
To view a full breakdown of UCF’s full conference schedule, visit ucfknights.com.
BIG 12 TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY ALLSTATE
The 2026 Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate is set to be held Nov. 9-14 at a to-be-announced site. The top eight teams from the regular season will advance to the single-elimination conference tournament.
TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026 UCF women’s soccer season are on sale now. Visit ucfknights.com/tickets for pricing and to purchase your season tickets or call the ticket office at (407) 823-1000. Single-game tickets will be available in the coming days.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.