Wisconsin football announces date, TV info for 2026 opener vs. Notre Dame at Lambeau Field
Wisconsin football announces date, TV info for 2026 opener vs. Notre Dame at Lambeau Field
Wisconsin will open its 2026 football season on Sunday, Sept. 6, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Initially scheduled for Oct. 3, 2020, the COVID-19-impacted contest is the second of a two-game series. Notre Dame won the first meeting 41-13 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, in 2021. The 2026 meeting between the two teams was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5. The latest update moved the game back one day, to Sunday of college football's opening weekend.
Next season's opener will mark the first time the Badgers, or any other college football program, have suited up for a game at Lambeau Field since Sept. 3, 2016. In that appearance, Wisconsin upset then-No. 5 LSU 16-14 behind dominant efforts from T.J. Watt, Jack Cichy and Corey Clement.
The Fighting Irish, captained by head coach Marcus Freeman, are fresh off a College Football Playoff national title loss to Ohio State. While the 2026 squad will look much different, Freeman has the program operating as one of the best in the country.
If the Badgers chalk up another 5-7 or 6-6 mark in 2025, the 2026 season opener could become a measuring stick for how the program lines up against the nation's top programs. Wisconsin does square off against Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana in 2025, so fans will absorb even more information about the program's trajectory ahead of the bout with Notre Dame.
Luke Fickell's program opens the 2025 season against Miami (Ohio) at Camp Randall Stadium on Aug. 25. The program vanquished Western Michigan 28-14 in the 2024 season opener, Buffalo 38-17 in 2023 and Illinois State 38-0 in 2022. The game at Lambeau will likely become the first time UW opens the season against a ranked opponent since 2021, when it fell to Penn State 16-10.
The 2026 contest against the Fighting Irish is slated to be televised live by NBC.
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