CAMBRIDGE, Mass. –  Harvard Football's 2026 Ivy League opener against Brown will take place on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET.
 
The matchup, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, in Providence, will now bring the two long-time Ivy foes together under the lights at the home of Rhode Island FC, a USL men's soccer team.
 
The Crimson and Bears will meet on the gridiron for the 95^th time in 2026. Harvard enters this season's meeting having earned a convincing 41-7 victory over Brown last year at Harvard Stadium.
 
Harvard, meanwhile, is coming off winning its third straight Ivy League title and earning an NCAA FCS Playoff at-large berth in 2025. The Crimson finished the year at 9-2 (6-1 Ivy) and appeared in both final top-25 polls (No. 20 – _Stats Perform, No. 23 – _AFCA Coaches) after rising to as high as No. 7 in the Stats Perform rankings.
 
The Crimson will be led in 2026 by team captain and running back Xaviah Bascon, along with four All-America candidates in Spencer Doan (OL), Damien Henderson (DB), Thomas O'Brien (OL) and Sean Line (LB). All five players were All-Ivy League selections in '25, with Doan, O'Brien and Line earning first-team accolades. Bascon and Henderson, meanwhile, were second-team picks.
 
Harvard will open the 2026 campaign on Sept. 19, when it faces 2025 NCAA Playoff participant New Hampshire on the road. After playing the Bears the following week (Sept. 26), the Crimson will make its home debut on Oct. 3, vs. Colgate. Season tickets for the 2026 home schedule are available at GoCrimson.com.