BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - The NEC has announced the conference slate for the upcoming football season, rounding out the Long Island University football team's 2026 schedule. The seven-game conference slate features three home games and four road games.

The Sharks open NEC play on Oct. 3 versus Mercyhurst University at Shark Stadium. LIU's home conference slate also features matchups with Stonehill College (Oct. 24) and Central Connecticut State University (Nov. 14).

The Sharks will make road trips to Duquesne University (Oct. 10), Wagner College (Oct. 17), the University of New Haven (Nov. 7), and Robert Morris University (Nov. 21) in conference play.

Season ticket packages for LIU's home games are available for purchase here. All season ticket purchases exclude the designated homecoming game. Homecoming 2026 admission will require the purchase of a single-game ticket for the designated homecoming game, to be announced at a later date.

LIU's 2026 season will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 27, at the University of North Dakota, marking the first-ever meeting between the Sharks and the Fighting Hawks. The non-conference schedule also includes road trips to the University of Kansas (Fri., Sept. 4) and Florida International University (Sept. 26), the two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents on the schedule. LIU will also play the University of Albany (Sept. 12) and Villanova University (Sept. 19) at home in non-conference competition.

In 2026, Ron Cooper enters his fifth season as head coach at LIU. This past season, the Sharks finished 6-6 overall, compiling the most overall wins in a single season of the program's Division I tenure. The season was highlighted by a 28-23 win at Eastern Michigan University, the program's first-ever victory over an FBS team. LIU finished the season on a three-game winning streak, with wins in five of its final six games.