Football

Northwestern is set to play games at Wrigley Field in 2022, 2024 and 2026, coach Pat Fitzgerald said in an interview on a 247Sports podcast released May 24.

The Wildcats are already slated to face Wisconsin at the Friendly Confines on Nov. 7, 2020, but the latest news shows NU’s continuing desire to build a partnership with the Chicago Cubs. On an official visit two weeks ago, recruits were treated to a tour of what Fitzgerald and the program called the Cats’ “second home.”

Welcome to our second home, Wrigley Field, where we will face off against the Badgers on November 7, 2020! Today we’re all here for a great time! #B1GCats #WildcatWave20 pic.twitter.com/ugjxlPTKEU

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) May 18, 2019

“We wanted to get (the recruits) around our players, first and foremost, get them around our program, see what it really means to be a Wildcat,” Fitzgerald said on The Notorious B1G recruiting podcast. “We wanted to be able to show the guys really what they’re going to be able to experience, and then just take full advantage of what Chicago has to offer, which is obviously right here in our front yard.”

When the game against the Badgers was officially announced last June, athletic director Jim Phillips said that due to the Cubs’ schedule, NU would likely only play games at Wrigley in November.

The Cats have two home games scheduled for November 2022 — Nov. 5 against Ohio State, and Nov. 26 against Illinois — and home matchups against Wisconsin and the Fighting Illini slated for November 2024. The 2026 schedule has yet to be released.

NU last played a game at Wrigley on Nov. 20, 2010 against Illinois. Dubbed the “Wrigleyville Classic,” the teams faced off in front of a crowd of 41,058 and the Fighting Illini came away with a 48-27 win.

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