The wait continues to find out when and where the 2027 football matchup between Illinois and Missouri will take place. Josh Whitman told the press on July 25 that the location has yet to be discussed and needs to be addressed soon.
“Not today,” Whitman said when asked about the location of the 2027 game.
Kansas City, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, or either Champaign or Columbia are realistic options for the first game of the series.
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As of now, the 2028 game is scheduled to be played in Champaign, while the 2029 game will be in Columbia. A neutral-site game would make the most sense for the first game of the new series, unless the schools want to move everything up a season and play the 2029 matchup at a neutral site.
The Illinois vs. Mizzou game was played in St. Louis for six straight seasons, and the former Rams stadium is still there, making it an easy choice. St. Louis is roughly in the middle of both campuses and would mirror the annual basketball matchup that has been played in the city for more than five decades.
But will the games actually be played?
The lack of discussion regarding the location is not particularly encouraging, especially after the reduction in games that was announced in the summer of 2025.
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Illinois and Missouri originally announced plans to renew the rivalry all the way back in 2017. The first game was set to be played Sept. 26, 2026 — just a few weeks from now. Those plans were changed when an eight-year series was announced in 2020 but reduced to six games in 2025.
The original agreement between the two schools was as follows:
Illinois-Mizzou Future Football Dates:
Sept. 26, 2026 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 18, 2027 — Columbia, Mo.
Sept. 16, 2028 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 15, 2029 — Columbia, Mo.
Sept. 18, 2032 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 17, 2033 — Columbia, Mo.
Sept. 16, 2034 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 15, 2035 — Columbia, Mo.
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The new agreement made last summer reduced the series from eight games to six, canceling the 2026 and 2032 matchups. The cancellation was agreed to by both sides and was largely due to both teams already having a power-conference opponent on their non-conference schedules for those seasons. The Illini have Duke at home in 2026, while the Tigers have Kansas on the docket for both 2026 and 2032.
The new contract between Illinois and Missouri looks similar:
Illinois-Mizzou Future Football Dates:
2027 (Date TBD) — Site TBD
Sept. 16, 2028 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 15, 2029 — Columbia, Mo.
2033 (Date TBD) — Site TBD
Sept. 16, 2034 — Champaign, Ill.
Sept. 15, 2035 — Columbia, Mo.
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Neither team has a Power Four opponent already scheduled during these six seasons, so it would be great to see this rivalry return in any form possible. Missouri has historically dominated Illinois and leads the all-time series 17-7, but the Illini have gotten much better in recent years.
This series would be great for the fans and great for college football, giving the sport a high-level matchup early in the season. The SEC is now required to play a Power Four opponent during non-conference play every season, while the Big Ten has yet to enforce a similar rule.There is no reason for Missouri to back out of this series with that rule coming into effect, so hopefully Illinois keeps its word and plays the game in 2027.
There is no need to panic yet, but hopefully we learn more about the location of the 2027 game — and the future of the series as a whole — over the next few months.
