BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - The Long Island University football team has announced its five-game non-conference schedule for the 2026 season. Season ticket packages are now available for purchase here.

LIU opens the season on Thursday night, Aug. 27, at perennial FCS powerhouse the University of North Dakota. On Sept. 4, the Sharks travel to the University of Kansas for a Friday night matchup with the Jayhawks, the first of two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) games on the schedule.

The home opener at Shark Stadium is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 versus the University of Albany, followed by another home game against Villanova University on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The Sharks round out non-conference play at Florida International University on Saturday, Sept. 26, the final FBS game on the schedule.

"We've got a very competitive schedule with two FBS teams and three top-notch FCS playoff teams," said head coach Ron Cooper. "This non-conference schedule will prepare us for conference play."

LIU's NEC schedule will be announced at a later date.

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.

In 2026 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.