Apr 23, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; A statue of Vince Lombardi at Lambeau Field. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Notre Dame Football: Lambeau Field Is Iconic, But College Football Is Meant for Campuses

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated May 21, 2025 2:05 PM ET

We've got an entire season to go before it occurs, but Notre Dame is set to open its 2026 college football season at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Fighting Irish will serve as the home team against the Badgers in a game originally scheduled to be played in 2020 as part of the Shamrock Series.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the game will take place on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, giving the game an official date. It will air on NBC and Peacock and will be Notre Dame's second-straight season opening the year on a Sunday.

This game was originally scheduled to be played back in 2020 but the Covid pandemic put a stop to that. The 2021 game was played at Soldier Field as originally scheduled with the Irish prevailing 41-13.

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Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I've been to Lambeau Field twice to see Bears vs. Packers games and think it's a trip every NFL fan should make at least once because it's unique compared to any other NFL game in a major city.

That said, college football is best played on college campuses. Sure, it was great to get a win over Wisconsin in 2021, but wouldn't it have been sweeter to have it happen at a venue like Camp Randall, where Notre Dame hasn't traveled in more than half a century? I get the Shamrock Series won't be going away any time soon, and as unique as the Lambeau Field experience is, give me either Madison or South Bend for a game between Notre Dame and Wisconsin any day of the week.

And twice on Sunday.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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