Notre Dame to face Navy at Gillette Stadium in 2026
Shortly after Notre Dame defeated Navy 51-14 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the Midshipmen found a home for the 2026 edition of the storied rivalry. The 99th Notre Dame-Navy game will be played on Oct. 31, 2026 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Gillette Stadium is the home of the New England Patriots. This will be the first time Foxborough has hosted the annual game.
“We are thrilled to host the 2026 Navy-Notre Dame Game and welcome these two historic programs and their passionate fanbases to Gillette Stadium for the first time in this storied, century-long rivalry,” Patriots chairman Robert Kraft said, according to a team press release. “We are honored that Navy has chosen Gillette Stadium and our region as the host for the 99th playing of this game steeped in tradition.”
Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Navy 81-13-1, ever since the Irish won the first matchup 19-6 in 1927.
The two teams have played every year since then, with the exception of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of Notre Dame’s wins, coming in 2012 and 2013, have been vacated. The Midshipmen last beat the Irish 28-27 in 2018. Since then, Notre Dame has won seven in a row by an average of 24 points.
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Navy helped Notre Dame survive World War II by turning it into a V-12 training center and paying for the use of its facilities, which saved the University from financial collapse. Since then, the Irish have promised to extend the football series with the Midshipmen as long as they want to as an annual “thank you” and payment of debt.
“New England has a deep appreciation for competition at the highest level and the sacrifices and cohesive teamwork that reaching such heights requires,” Kraft said. “The Midshipmen and Fighting Irish epitomize this, and we look forward to welcoming one of the gridiron’s greatest rivalries to Gillette Stadium in 2026.”
Navy is enjoying its best season since the pandemic, although the Midshipmen fell to Rice the week after losing to Notre Dame. Junior quarterback Blake Horvath and company bounced back Nov. 9 with a 28-7 win over South Florida.
Navy faces Tulane on Saturday in a game that will essentially determine which of those two teams has a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship. The winner will likely take on No. 25 Army, and if it’s the Midshipmen, they’ll do so in back-to-back weeks.
