For Wisconsin football fans, a trip to Lambeau Field was about more than watching the Badgers open their season. It was a chance to experience one of the state’s most iconic sports venues while cheering for their college team.
Thousands of fans made the roughly two-hour trip from Madison to Green Bay for the 2026 Shamrock Series, where the Badgers faced Notre Dame at the home of the Green Bay Packers. The game brought together current University of Wisconsin-Madison students, alumni and lifelong fans — giving Wisconsin supporters a rare opportunity to take over Lambeau Field with cardinal red and white.
“We go to Packer games, so it's kind of nice seeing [Lambeau Field] taken over by college sports,” UW-Madison junior Maddox Neumann told The Daily Cardinal. “It's kind of cool. It's different with all the opponents here. Usually at [Camp Randall] games, we don't really see the opposing team other than the big games like Alabama.”
Neumann, like many other Badgers, made the trip up north for the game. The drivetime didn’t stop traveling fans from supporting the Badgers in the season opener.
“I mean, you cannot beat this place. It's awesome, you know. It brings people together, it brings some fans together, and seeing how well the team can travel shows how much you care about the team,” a group of UW-Madison students told the Cardinal at one of the many tailgates before the game.
Without help or rideshares provided by the university, students had to find alternative routes to get to Green Bay. Many students drove, rented buses or used online charter services. Some students at the pre-game tailgates told the Cardinal they saw more sophomores, upperclassmen and fraternities than they did freshmen because “it’s hard to get rides.”
UW-Madison student Jack Bershad called Wisconsin's home-opener “the biggest game of the year.” He said it was the reason Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity took a bus to Lambeau and why he and his friends were excited for the game.
“I've seen a good amount [of Wisconsin fans], but I think right now it's more Notre Dame, but I think we're coming,” Bershad told the Cardinal. “I mean, we're Wisconsin fans. Oh, we're coming.”
Interim chancellor Eric Wilcots shared the enthusiasm of UW students, telling the Cardinal the football team has worked hard, he was “ready for some good football” and that Wisconsin fans had shown up.
“The cool thing is — look around. All this red in the stadium [is] what’s exciting,” Wilcots said.
Two UW-Madison freshmen told the Cardinal the culture and identity of Wisconsin football was an appealing part of their decision to attend the game.
A game hosted by Notre Dame encouraged fans of the Fighting Irish to drive almost five hours to see South Bend clash with Madison. Two Notre Dame seniors, Abby Scanlon and Penelope Carlin, said they weren't the only students who traveled over the weekend.
“It was a road trip, it was a solid drive,” Scanlon and Carlin told the Cardinal. “Everyone we know — almost all of our friends are [in Green Bay].”
To them, a game in the heart of Packers territory is “pretty similar” to the game culture in South Bend. UW-Madison junior Erica McDonald couldn’t speak to Notre Dame, but told the Cardinal it was different from the two years she’d spent at gamedays in Madison.
“In Green Bay, it was a traditional tailgate out of cars in the parking lot, which differs from Madison’s frat and apartment style tailgates,” McDonald said. “The community was much deeper with the presence of alumni alongside current students.”
Alumni, like 2018 graduate Jacqueline Caldwell, showed up with friends and family to tailgate and cheer on the Badgers. Surrounded by blue and gold and Notre Dame logos, Badgers fans stood out for most of the pre-game tailgates.
And hours later, Wisconsin fans dressed in cardinal red and white filled half of Lambeau Field to watch Wisconsin fall 41-13 to Notre Dame for a repeat performance of 2021’s game at Soldier Field in Chicago. Even though the Badgers lost their momentum going into the second half, and a 28 yard touchdown pass from CJ Carr to Nolan James Jr. in the fourth quarter led to the final score of the game, some Badger fans stuck it out until the bitter end.
When asked if she regretted the effort it took to travel to the Packers stadium, McDonald said she and her friends would do it again and said she sees herself coming back to Green Bay post-grad if the Badgers make it back up north.
“The travel and money was worth experiencing Lambeau Field and the football culture in Green Bay [for the first time],” McDonald said. “I immediately felt like I could go up to any tailgate and feel welcomed. I definitely would come to a game like this one as an alumni.”
Wisconsin made a final drive attempt in the remaining minutes of the game, but they had already fallen too far behind. A few fans headed out after the third quarter’s Jump Around, but the 75,939 attendance record showed the importance of “special” games like this one.
