Illinois and Notre Dame Announce Two-Year Football Series

Fifty-nine years. That is the length of the gap between the last time these two programs met on a gridiron and the next time they will. Illinois and Notre Dame confirmed on Tuesday that they will play a home-and-home football series in 2027 and 2028. This marks their first meeting since 1968.

The Irish will host the Illini at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend on September 4, 2027. The return leg will take place in 2028 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. This new arrangement replaces the Missouri series on Illinois' schedule for those two seasons. For Notre Dame, the games against the Illini will replace the Purdue series, which the Big Ten school paused earlier on Tuesday.

The two teams have a long history, having met 12 times. The first contest occurred in 1898. Nine of those games took place during a ten-year stretch from 1937 to 1946. The final matchup before this new series occurred in 1968 at Notre Dame Stadium as part of a previous two-year arrangement.

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman welcomed the return of the rivalry in a written statement. He noted that he has wanted to schedule this series since arriving in 2016. Whitman cited the proximity of the schools and their shared roots in Chicago and the Midwest. He expressed confidence that fans will pack the stadium in South Bend and that the 2028 game in Champaign will be one of the most anticipated home games in decades. He thanked Notre Dame officials, including Pete Bevacqua, Ron Powlus, and Coach Freeman, for making the deal happen.

The announcement follows a public exchange between the two programs earlier this year. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema criticized Notre Dame's football independence in a June post on X. Bielema suggested it would be easier for the Irish to join a conference. "Some guys really like to talk about something that could happen and who they might play," Bielema wrote. "Actually, it's pretty easy to just join a conference."

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has maintained the need for the Irish to remain independent in football. This stance followed the team's exclusion from the 2025 College Football Playoff. The two sides are now set to square off on the field starting next season.

Illinois also announced the addition of Florida International University to its 2027 schedule on August 28, 2027. The Illini dropped a game against Eastern Illinois from that same season.