Chambana Sun

Illinois Wrestling will compete against eight Big Ten Conference opponents in the 2026 season, according to the schedule released by the conference. The Fighting Illini will have four home matches and four away duals.

The team begins its conference campaign at home on January 10 against Minnesota. Illinois has a slight advantage in the historical record between the two teams, although Minnesota won their last meeting in 2024. Following this, Illinois will travel to Michigan for consecutive away matches. They face Michigan State in East Lansing on January 16 and then take on Michigan in Ann Arbor on January 18. Historically, Michigan has dominated this matchup, but Illinois aims to reverse that trend.

On January 25, Illinois returns to Champaign to host Rutgers. In recent years, Illinois has been successful against Rutgers, winning five of their last six encounters. Indiana visits Champaign next on January 30; Illinois holds a strong all-time lead over Indiana with several decisive victories in recent seasons.

February starts with an away match at Purdue on February 8. In their last meeting in 2024, Illinois secured a narrow comeback win over Purdue to maintain its series lead. The final home meet is scheduled for February 13 against Nebraska, a program often ranked among the top nationally.

The regular season ends with an away dual against Northwestern in Evanston on February 15. Illinois leads the all-time series against Northwestern and hopes to build momentum heading into postseason competition.

"All dates and times are subject to change," according to the announcement from the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Home meets are set for Minnesota (Jan. 10), Rutgers (Jan. 25), Indiana (Jan. 30), and Nebraska (Feb. 13). Away matches include contests at Michigan State (Jan. 16), Michigan (Jan. 18), Purdue (Feb. 8), and Northwestern (Feb. 15).