The Shamrock Series is Notre Dame's annual tradition of playing a scheduled home football game at a neutral site. It began in 2009 under then-athletics director Kevin White, and the 2026 edition sends the Irish to Lambeau Field to face Wisconsin on Sunday, September 6. Back on campus, Notre Dame Stadium has been the program's true home since 1930. Here is how the two pieces of Notre Dame football geography fit together.
How the Shamrock Series started
Notre Dame describes the Shamrock Series as "an event where the Irish play a scheduled home game at a neutral site." The idea took shape in 2009 under Kevin White, and over time it has grown well beyond a single kickoff. The university now calls it a weekend festival of all things Notre Dame, with the game at its center and a chance, in the university's words, "to give and to give back."
Because the Irish are the designated home team, the Shamrock Series lets the program bring a home-game atmosphere to fans in other parts of the country who may never make the trip to campus.
Yankee Stadium in 2018, Lambeau Field in 2026
Two stops show the range of venues the series uses:
- 2018: Notre Dame played Syracuse on November 17, 2018, at Yankee Stadium. It was the Shamrock Series' second trip to the home of the New York Yankees.
- 2026: Notre Dame meets Wisconsin on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Lambeau Field.
A ballpark built for the Yankees and a stadium like Lambeau Field are very different settings, and that variety is part of what gives each edition its own identity. It is also why jersey designs connected to the series are labeled by year.
Notre Dame Stadium, from 1930 to 80,795
The original Notre Dame Stadium was added to the university's athletics facilities in 1930. It was designed by the Osborn Engineering Company, and Knute Rockne took a personal hand in its design.
The stadium's biggest change came decades later. A $50-million expansion completed before the 1997 season added more than 21,000 seats, bringing capacity to its present-day figure of 80,795.
The Leprechaun
Tying the nickname to Irish folklore, the Leprechaun serves as Notre Dame's mascot. Notre Dame dates the Leprechaun's selection as mascot to 1965.
Custom jersey lines tied to these traditions
Many of the custom name-and-number designs for the Irish are organized around the same moments described above. Among the first 12 of 35 listings on the linked page are:
- A 2018 Shamrock Series design and a 2026 Shamrock Series design (Black, Blue, Green, White).
- Shamrock Series 2024 name-and-number designs.
- A 2026 Vapor custom jersey in Green or Navy.
- A 2024 Gold Vapor Limited design with Alternate, Black Gold, Black Limited and White Gold styles, plus a design titled "2025 Sugar Bowl Champions Gold" in the same four styles.
- A 2024 Vapor Limited name-and-number jersey in White, Green, Gold, Blue Gray and Alternate.
The complete set is on RobertHenrys' custom Fighting Irish jersey page.
In short
The Shamrock Series takes a Notre Dame home game on the road each year, from Yankee Stadium in 2018 to Lambeau Field in 2026, while Notre Dame Stadium, opened in 1930 and expanded to 80,795 seats in 1997, remains the program's home on campus.