NFL’s second oldest stadium to host historic college game in 300-mile relocation after six-year delay

Notre Dame faces Wisconsin to begin their 2026 college football campaign, but the game wont be played in Madison.

The Fighting Irish will take on the Badgers at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL‘s Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

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The fixture is part of the Shamrock Series – which itself began in 2009 when Notre Dame started to ‘take a game on the road’.

This specific game was originally scheduled to be played in 2020, but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s the second instalment of the series against Wisconsin, the first of which was played at Soldier Field in 2021. The Fighting Irish won 41-13.

Notre Dame will be the designated home team for this fixture, despite playing Wisconsin in… Wisconsin.

Notre Dame head coach, Marcus Freeman, wants his players to appreciate the opportunity that is ahead of them.

“Not every day or every week you get to play in an NFL Stadium with some of the history that Lambeau has,” Freeman said.

“I do want them to take a minute in pregame to take it in and look around, because I am. 

“I’m gonna look around and make sure that I have gratitude for the opportunity to play in that game.”

Lambeau Field has some extra meaning for Notre Dame, as namesake Curly Lambeau spent his college days at Notre Dame.

He went on to spend 29 years in Green Bay, leading the franchise to six NFL Championships.

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Sunday’s game will mark just the fourth time college football has been played the the NFL’s second oldest stadium, only behind Soldier Field.

With the Chicago Bears identifying two sites for a new home in Indiana, Lambeau could soon become the oldest.

Vince Lombardi’s college, Fordham, played in back-to-back seasons at the Lambeau Field in support for the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation, a decade after his death.

The first game in 1982 was attended by more than 5,000 fans, but 1983’s matchup didn’t see more than 842 fans walk through the gates.

33 years later, in 2016, Wisconsin upset LSU at Lambeau Field in front of a crowd of 77,823 fans.

Now, a full decade after that historic night, the frozen tundra once again plays host to college football royalty.

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Opening the year on such an iconic stage offers both programs an immediate shot at a marquee win, setting the tone for their 2026 campaigns in front of a national audience.