Rhode Island FC will open its 2026 season at home against Loudoun United FC on Saturday, March 7, the club announced Tuesday.
The Ocean State club will play at least 34 games from March through October, including 30 regular-season matchups and four group stage games in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. RIFC will split its schedule evenly with 17 home games and 17 on the road at Centreville Bank Stadium, which was named Best New Venue of 2025 by SportsTravel Magazine.
Single-game tickets for the first five home games are on sale now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
“RIFC fans deliver the energy that drives our team,” club president David Peart said. “We look forward to welcoming the best fans in the USL back to award-winning Centreville Bank Stadium for another action-filled campaign in 2026 as we celebrate the summer of soccer in the Ocean State.”
Rhode Island FC will compete in an expanded 13-team Eastern Conference that includes expansion clubs Sporting Club Jacksonville and Brooklyn FC. The club will also compete in the 111th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with first-round play scheduled for March 17-19.
The schedule features several marquee matchups. RIFC travels to Pittsburgh on July 25 for a rematch of the 2025 Eastern Conference Final against the Riverhounds. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, which defeated Rhode Island in the 2024 USL Championship Final, visits Pawtucket on Aug. 8.
The regular season concludes Oct. 24 at Hartford Athletic, the third and final meeting between the regional rivals. RIFC opens its Prinx Tires USL Cup campaign at Hartford on April 25.
Should Rhode Island FC finish eighth or higher in the Eastern Conference, the playoffs would begin the weekend of Oct. 31. The USL Championship Final will air on CBS between Nov. 20-22.
Rhode Island FC reached the USL Championship Final in its inaugural 2024 season and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in 2025.