SAN DIEGO — Navy and Notre Dame will play their annual rivalry game at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego in 2018, the first meeting between the longtime rivals west of the Mississippi River.
The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen have played 88 times and earlier this month agreed to play in Jacksonville, Florida in 2016.
The teams play this season on Oct. 10 in South Bend, Indiana. The 2018 game is set for Oct. 27.
San Diego hosts the largest naval fleet in the world and is home to more than 35,000 sailors, soldiers, Department of Defense civilian employees and contractors. Military bases include U.S. Navy facilities, Marine Corps bases, and Coast Guard stations.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play a regular-season game against Notre Dame in San Diego, which is a city filled with Navy and Marine Corps servicemen and women,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a statement announcing the game. “The partnership the Naval Academy has had with the bowl administration in San Diego has been extraordinary for well over a decade.”
Navy is 3-4 in San Diego, defeating BYU in the inaugural Holiday Bowl in 1978 and winning two Poinsettia Bowls.
Notre Dame has never played in San Diego. The Fighting Irish have won 75 games against Navy.
Navy will begin its first season as a member of The American in September.
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