Syracuse to play 2027 season opener in Toronto vs. Wake Forest
Syracuse football will open its 2027 season at Toronto’s BMO Field versus Wake Forest, the program announced Thursday. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse football will open its 2027 season at Toronto’s BMO Field versus Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest, the program announced Thursday. The game is set to take place during Week 0 of the season on either Aug. 28 or 29 and will count as a conference matchup.
It’ll be the 30th college football game to take place in Canada and the first at the Toronto venue known for hosting the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC and the Canadian National Soccer Team. BMO Field will also be a World Cup venue this summer.
“Opening the 2027 season in Toronto is an exciting opportunity for Syracuse football and our fans,” outgoing Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack said in a release. “Partnering with Wake Forest and ESPN Events for this game created the unique chance for us to headline Week 0 while providing a destination game for fans to visit a world-class city just four hours from campus.”
The Orange have only played official games internationally twice. They last went abroad in 1989 to face Louisville in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Syracuse also traveled to Canada in 1921 to meet McGill in Montreal. SU won both international matchups.
The scheduled contest in Toronto between the Orange and the Demon Deacons continues a trend of the ACC playing games internationally, specifically to start the season.
The conference played games in Dublin, Ireland, in 2016 and 2024 as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The tradition will continue in 2026, when North Carolina plays TCU in the Irish capital before Pitt clashes with Wisconsin in Dublin in 2027. Plus, ACC foes NC State and Virginia will open their 2026 seasons in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“We are thrilled to bring ACC football to an international stage in Toronto,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said in the release. “This conference game represents an exciting opportunity to showcase our student-athletes and our member institutions, as well as put on full display the energy of college football to a new and diverse audience.
“Building on our successful history of international games — from Dublin to our upcoming game in Brazil — this matchup reflects the ACC’s continued commitment to giving our student-athletes a first-class experience, as well as memorable experiences for our fans and alumni, all while helping to grow the game globally.”
