Mizzou Athletics is rolling out a long list of game-day changes and upgrades as the 2026 football season opens Thursday at 7 p.m. in Columbia.
The home opener, Thursday’s Kickoff in CoMo, is sold out, though tickets may still be available through Ticketmaster Verified Resale. Before the first snap, nine-time Grammy Award winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and University of Missouri alum Sheryl Crow will perform the National Anthem.
Parking will look a little different for the opener because of normal campus weekday operations. Lots open at 2 p.m.
Thursday for the home opener, while all other home-game lots will open at 7 a.m. Truman’s Landing will open for RVs at 6 p.m. the day before each game.
On the fan-experience side, the Tiger Fan Zone is back on the lawn on Tiger Avenue across from Tiger Avenue Parking Structure, just north of the traffic circle. It opens three-and-a-half hours before kickoff and will feature a large-screen TV showing games from around the country, food trucks and seating, beer sales, Tiger Team Store merchandise sales, the MU Health Care Kids Zone and the Coca-Cola Student Tailgate.
Mizzou is also adding several stadium enhancements. The north and south videoboards will have spotlights to boost lighting effects inside the stadium, and the north videoboard is returning along with a sound system built around state-of-the-art EAW Anya Concentric Summation Array technology.
The school says it will also be able to stage 360-degree fireworks displays for key games and use a new wireless camera in the in-game production for extra videoboard elements. A new Champs Chicken-sponsored promotion will encourage fans to help create an atmosphere that forces false starts by the opponent and earns rewards.
The in-game script is also being adjusted to keep energy up during breaks in play.
Tiger Walk remains part of the pageantry two-and-a-half hours before kickoff. Fans can greet the team as it arrives by bus at Lot C off South Providence and watch it walk down the hill into the locker room. With North End Zone construction finished, Big Mo is returning to the north concourse.
Truman’s Taxi is changing with the stadium’s reduced footprint around the field after completion of the North End Zone. It will no longer enter the stadium, but it will continue to lead the band from the band practice field to the stadium and lead the team on Tiger Walk before staging outside Gate 4E for pictures.
Mizzou is also leaning on new partners in concessions and retail. Sodexo Live!
now handles concessions and hospitality at all Mizzou venues with Columbia-based Upper Crust Food Service. Along with faster-service technology and some stands converting to grab-and-go setups, Memorial Stadium will offer hand-breaded Southern-style Tiger Tenders, a Kansas City Burnt End Hot Dog and two new Stack Burgers.
The Tiger Team Store has a new brick-and-mortar home on the northeast side of Memorial Stadium and is now operated by Follett Higher Education Group. It is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Monday through Saturday. On football game days, exterior doors close 15 minutes before gates open, and entry for ticket holders will be through the north concourse.
Fans are being warned to build in extra travel time, especially with five construction projects underway along I-70. Parking passes are sold out for the season, though single-game parking is available in PS7. PS7 will not be available for game-day parking for the home opener because of campus operations.
REVELxp, Mizzou Athletics’ official full-service tailgate partner, is offering a turnkey tailgate setup along Stadium Boulevard just north of Hearnes Center. Rideshare drop-off and pick-up is in Lot R, where fans can cross Research Park Drive and take the pregame MO-X shuttle to Memorial Stadium.
Gates to Memorial Stadium will open two hours before kickoff each week. Because capacity crowds are expected all season, fans are being urged to enter through the gate closest to their seats or use Gate 1. Golf cart shuttles will also be available for fans moving between east-side parking and west-side seats.
Tickets and parking are digital, so fans are being told to download both to their digital wallets before arriving on campus. Ticket resolution on football game day will be handled at the Memorial Stadium Ticket Offices at Gate 1 and at the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office.
The Hill also has new rules after the Memorial Stadium Centennial Project. The space behind the north end zone has been reconfigured and is smaller than before, which means fans must have a ticket to sit in the general admission area. Those with Hill tickets will need to show them at the entrance and receive a wristband that must be worn while accessing The Hill.
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