Cal plans a four-game football series against UCLA

Cal announced Wednesday that the Bears will play UCLA four times from 2026-2029 and also announced that the Golden Bears’ home and away games against Florida have been canceled.

Cal and UCLA are no longer in the same conference (Cal is moving to the ACC and UCLA to the Big Ten), but the University of California’s two main universities are keen to continue their football rivalry.

Cal and UCLA will not face each other in 2024 or 2025, but will meet in four consecutive seasons from 2026 to 2029. Cal will welcome UCLA to California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on September 5, 2026 and September 2, 2028, while the Golden Bears will travel to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl on September 4, 2027 and September 15, 2029.

The 2026 meeting will be the first time Cal and UCLA have met in a non-conference game. The teams first met in 1933 and have played each other 94 times, including at least one conference game in each season for 91 consecutive seasons from 1933 to 2023. Cal won their last meeting 33-7 in the final game of the 2023 regular season at the Rose Bowl.

In May, the UC Board of Regents passed a proposal that would require UCLA to pay $10 million annually to Cal’s athletic department for the next three school years. As a condition of approving UCLA’s move to the Big Ten, the Board of Regents required UCLA to pay its sister school, Cal, which was not included in the move to the Big Ten.

Cal has announced that a previously scheduled two-game series against Florida (at Florida on Sept. 19, 2026; at Cal on Sept. 4, 2027) has been canceled. That two-game series with the Gators was announced in February but taken off the table. This will reduce Cal’s travel, which is a concern. The Bears’ travel has been increased by joining the ACC.

Cal also postponed a home game against UNLV previously scheduled for 2026 from September 5 to October 3.

Meanwhile, UCLA is foregoing nonconference matchups against SEC powers Auburn and Georgia, and instead relies on nonconference games against former Pac-12 members Cal and Utah. UCLA’s matchup against Georgia was scheduled for 2025-2026 and Auburn for 2027-2028 before the programs mutually agreed to cancel the series.

The changes have restricted travel at UCLA.

Cal Football Future Dates

2025
Date – Opponent
August 30 – at Oregon State
September 13 – Minnesota
September 20 – at San Diego State
TBA (ACC home games) – Duke, North Carolina, SMU, Virginia
TBA (ACC away games) – Boston College, Louisville, Stanford, Virginia Tech

2026
Date – Opponent
September 5 – UCLA
October 3 – UNLV
TBA (ACC home games) – Clemson, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
TBA (ACC away games) – North Carolina State, SMU, Syracuse, Virginia

2027
Date – Opponent
September 4 – at UCLA
TBA (ACC home games) – Boston College, Florida State, Louisville, SMU
TBA (ACC away games) – Georgia Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh, Stanford

2028
Date – Opponent
September 2 – UCLA
September 16 – Minnesota
TBA (ACC home games) – Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Stanford
TBA (ACC away games) – Florida State, Louisville, SMU, Wake Forest

2029
Date – Opponent
September 1 – Wisconsin
September 8 – Wyoming
September 15 – at UCLA
TBA (ACC home games) – Duke, Miami, SMU, Syracuse
TBA (ACC away games) – Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford

2030
Date – Opponent
August 31 – Wisconsin
TBA (ACC home games) – Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Virginia
TBA (ACC away games) – Duke, Georgia Tech, SMU, Virginia Tech