The Charlotte 49ers and Appalachian State have entered into a contract to compete in a four-game non-conference football series beginning in 2026. The in-state rivalry will pit the two teams against each other from 2026 through 2029 at alternating locations.Appalachian State will host the first game of the four-game series at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. The 49ers will host the Mountaineers, Sept. 18, 2027 at Jerry Richardson Stadium. The series returns to Boone, N.C., Sept. 16, 2028 and will be back in Charlotte, Sept. 15, 2029.The series will renew the existing two-game home-and-home series that began in 2018 and will include the upcoming 2019 matchup, Sept. 7 in Boone, N.C."This is such a natural rivalry, and I am excited for our program to be able to compete against App on a more regular basis," said 49ers AD. "I appreciate Doug Gillin for working with us to schedule this series. We would have liked to have started the series sooner but several long-term contracts on both sides prevented us from doing so. We are looking forward to our trip to Boone this fall as well as this future rivalry series."

"I'm excited about playing football against another in-state school," said App State AD Doug Gillin. "Thanks to Mike Hill and his team for working with us to get this scheduled. Regional games make sense. It's great for college football, great for our state, and great for both fan bases to be able to travel to a game within two hours, home or away. We saw the passion for this game last year in Charlotte, and we're expecting a sellout crowd at The Rock this fall. We have been trying to get this series on the books for a while and wanted to lock in the years as soon as possible."

The 49ers will open the 2019 season at home vs. Gardner-Webb, Aug. 31 before heading to Appalachian State, Sept. 7. First-year head coachhas 12 returning starters on the roster, including first-team all-Conference USA defensive endand Conference USA's second-leading rusher,2019 season tickets are on sale at charlotte49ers.com or by calling the 49ers athletic ticket office at 704-687-4949.