Northwestern's New $862M Ryan Field to Open vs. PSU, Will Play Deion's Colorado at Lakefront Stadium

Northwestern football will call two different stadiums home during the 2026 campaign.

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the Wildcats will begin the season at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, the field next to Lake Michigan that the team has mainly used for the past two years. After playing South Dakota State on Sept. 5 and Colorado on Sept. 19, Northwestern will make its debut at Ryan Field against Penn State on Oct. 2.

The Wildcats will then play their final five home games at Ryan Field.

According to Rittenberg, Ryan Field organizers planned for the 35,000-seat stadium to open in the fall of 2026. The timeline has changed somewhat since the initial plan because demolition began later than originally hoped.

"Those [first two] games were likely always going to be on the lake," Pat Ryan Jr., CEO of Ryan Sports Development, told Rittenberg. "The only way we would have been able to support those games is if we finished early, and just with the weather alone, there's no way we were going to get this thing done then. So we've had tough headwinds, but we've had some good tailwinds because of great people. And the stadium, despite all of this, is going to end up being delivered in mid-September, on time."

Nonetheless, Northwestern fans will finally get the chance to attend a game at the new stadium later this year, and the fact that it will be for the Big Ten opener should make for an electric atmosphere.