On the night of Halloween in 2026, Gillette Stadium welcomes the Navy Midshipmen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the first time in the 99-game series that began in 1927. The game is set to take place on October 31, 2026, following a summer of World Cup games.
This marks the first time for the Navy-Notre Dame game to take place in New England. This will be Notre Dame’s first time playing at Gillette Stadium and the second time for Navy, who matched up against Army in 2023. Army defeated Navy 17-11 in the December 2023 faceoff.
Navy-Notre Dame comes to New England
In 2026, Navy will be the home team for the game and Notre Dame considered the visiting team. Kraft group and the state shares their excitement for the upcoming game:
“Massachusetts is the perfect host for the 2026 Navy-Notre Dame Game,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “This is where our nation and our military traditions started, and Gillette Stadium has a strong record of successfully hosting large events from the Army-Navy Game to the upcoming FIFA World Cup. We are honored that the Navy chose Gillette Stadium to host this historic game and look forward to welcoming the Midshipmen, Fighting Irish and all of their fans to Massachusetts.”
The Navy-Notre Dame game marks a significant milestone in American football, with two of the country’s oldest football programs and the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in college football, playing 93 consecutive years before the pandemic put a pause in 2020. Games resumed in 2021. The most recent game took place on October 26 at MetLife Stadium in East, Rutherford, New Jersey.
Notre Dame defeated Navy 51-14 in the game. The 100th Navy-Notre Dame Game takes place on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana.
Who knows what the score will be at Gillette! Stay tuned for information on game day tickets.