HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i football team plays host to its 2026 home opener with a big early-season conference matchup aginst Mountain West rival UNLV, Saturday, Sept. 5 at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex. Kickoff is 4:00 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on The CW.
 
Promotions:
California Hotel & Casino is the title sponsor for Saturday's home opener between Hawai'i and UNLV

• Celebrate the home opener and the Ninth Island Showdown with island vibes.
• The first 2,500 fans will receive a white shirt from the sponsor. All fans are encouraged to WEAR WHITE with the team to create a true home-field advantage.
• Native Hawaiian and Grammy-nominated musician Henry Kapono will perform the national anthem and Hawai'i Pono'ī.
• During the national anthem, there will be a U.S. Army Aviation presentation by the 26th Regiment with an Apache helicopter flyover.
• Members of the Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation will be recognized for their community relief efforts following the Kona Low.
• Co-host Alan Miya will be in the stands delivering $50 "Power Up" cards from Dave and Buster's to keiki wearing white during select timeouts.
• At halftime, members of the Na Koa Youth Athletics team will participate in a short flag football game on the field. 
• New head coach Joshua Walker and the entire Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team will be introduced and celebrated on the field.
• The Halau of New Hope Oahu will perform a hula during the first and second halves on the field.
• The Rooftop Pā'ina, an elevated pregame experience for Rainbow Warrior football home games makes its debut in 2026 on the fifth floor of Zone 20 parking structure. The event is free although a parking pass to park in the structure is required. Click here for more info.
• New VIP Experiences are available for fans, including Sideline Tables, the Makai Beach Club and a VIP Tailgate Area. Click here for more info.

    

HAWAI'I (0-1, 0-0 MW) vs. UNLV (0-1, 0-0 MW)
Date | Time				Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 | 4:00 p.m. HT
Location | Stadium				Honolulu, O'ahu | Clarence T.C. Ching Complex (15,194)
Game Day Information				Click here for the latest information about tickets, parking, food & beverage, activities and more.
Television				The CW. Jack McMullen (play-by-play), Cody Kessler (analyst), and Marshall Newhouse (sideline).
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). John Veneri (play-by-play) and Mark Veneri (analyst). ESPNHonolulu.com & Sideline Hawaii app
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai'i | UNLV | Mountain West
Digital Program				Coming soon
Social Media				@HawaiiFootball  | #HawaiiFB | @RainbowWarriorsFootball  | Facebook

      
SERIES VS UNLV
Series Information: UH leads 19-16
            In Honolulu: UH leads 13-4
            In Las Vegas: UNLV leads 12-6
Last Meeting: UNLV, 38-10, Nov. 21, 2025

GAME STORYLINES

• UH and UNLV will play for the Island Showdown Trophy when the two teams meet for the 18th consecutive season, the longest active streak Hawai'i has against one opponent.
• The Warriors have dropped four of the last five in the series to the Rebels, but have taken three of the last four meetings in Honolulu and are 13-4 all-time vs. UNLV in the islands.
• The Island Showdown Trophy was created in 2017 to showcase the link between Hawai'i and Las Vegas. "The Ninth Island" is the nickname for Las Vegas to many Hawai'i locals as a large number of former Hawai'i residents now live in Vegas or frequently vacation there.
• UH and UNLV have played 19 times as conference opponents, with the Rebels holding a slight 10-9 edge in those matchups. (UH led 3-2 in WAC matchups but is 6-8 in the MW).
• Fifteen players on the UH roster prepped at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas - the most players from one high school in the country. Eight UH players list their hometown as Las Vegas.
• All four of UH's captains prepped at Bishop Gorman HS and hail from Las Vegas (QB Micah Alejado, RB Cam Barfield, LB Jamih Otis, DB Elijah Palmer).
• Hawai'i has won eight of its last nine games at Ching Complex dating back to 2024, averaging 31.8 points per game during that span, scoring 35-plus points in six of those nine contests.
• UH's roster includes 50 players who are homegrown from the state of Hawai'i, including 11 who prepped at Saint Louis School - the second-most players from one high school in the country behind only the Rainbow Warriors' 15 Bishop Gorman alums.
• The Rainbow Warriors scored 20 unanswered fourth quarter points in the season opener at Stanford before falling 37-27.
• UH out-gained Stanford 200-93 in the fourth quarter and took a 27-23 lead with 4:06 to play after being down by 16 points, but could not hold on.
• QB Micah Alejado is regarded as one of the nation's top quarterbacks, having been placed on six different preseason watch lists, including the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards.
• Alejado came alive in the fourth quarter of the opener at Stanford, throwing for 169 yards on 12-of 18 passing with two TDs. He finished 2025 eighth nationally in passing yards per game (282.4) and second in FBS in completions per game (25.9).

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