COVID-19 ended up pushing back Notre Dame’s visit to Lambeau Field by six years.
The Irish’s first-ever game in one of the NFL’s most iconic venues will take place Sept. 5, 2026 against Wisconsin, the teams announce Monday. It’s a makeup date of a game initially scheduled for Oct. 3, 2020 that was canceled due to scheduling changes brought on by the pandemic.
Shortly after the cancelation, both programs affirmed their commitment to rescheduling the game. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said on his radio show in May they had agreed on a date.
“Notre Dame was able to clear a date, we were able to clear a date and make things happen,” Alvarez said. “We’re going to play that.”
The makeup game needed to be a down-the-road date because Wisconsin’s non-conference schedule was filled through 2027, with the exception of one opening in 2026. Alvarez used it to add a marquee game.
Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule now has 10 of its 12 regular-season opponents filled. The Irish play home games against Virginia, Louisville, Michigan State and Syracuse. They go on the road to play at Purdue, North Carolina, USC, Florida State. Wisconsin and presumably Navy will be neutral-site games.
This year’s Sept. 25 game at Soldier Field is the first meeting between Notre Dame and Wisconsin since a three-game series from 1962-64. It was originally the back half of a two-game series that was supposed to start at Lambeau Field in 2020.
The Irish lead the all-time series 8-6-2. They are 10-0-2 all time at Soldier Field and most recently played there in 2012, defeating Miami 41-3.
Notre Dame has never played at Lambeau Field, which is named for former Irish football player Curly Lambeau.