Northwestern will play the majority of its home football games over the next 2 seasons at its lakefront practice facility on campus, the school announced on Wednesday.

With construction on the new Ryan Field ongoing, there had been speculation that Northwestern might host its home games at nearby stadiums — Wrigley Field, SeatGeek Stadium, Lambeau Field.

Instead, for the majority of the Wildcats’ home games, Lake Michigan will serve as the backdrop

The school will build temporary structures around the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility to make the move possible, though capacity will be significantly reduced. Season ticket holders will get first priority, and Northwestern says seats will be set aside for students. The exact configuration is still a work in progress.

Northwestern is partnering with InProduction, which constructed seating used for the NASCAR event in downtown Chicago last summer. The company has also worked with Hawaii and Florida State on temporary seating, staging, and structures, among other things.

Northwestern says it is continuing discussions with other Chicago-area venues that could host some 2024 games. The full home schedule is still being finalized.

Home games for the Wildcats in 2024 include Miami (OH), Duke, Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Illinois. The 2025 slate features conference home games against Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Purdue, and UCLA

Ryan Field — home of the Wildcats since 1926 — is currently being rebuilt. Construction on the new stadium is expected to be completed in 2026.

“We talk all the time about providing the ultimate student-athlete experience, and keeping our team on campus while providing a true home field advantage accomplishes that mission,” head coach David Braun said in a statement. “During a period of exciting transition, playing in a venue that brings the Northwestern community together provides a perfect bridge to the new Ryan Field, and I’m so excited about the gameday experience for our program and the entire Wildcat community.”

Braun led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record and the school’s first bowl win since 2020 last season. Following an offseason that saw longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald dismissed, Braun took over a team that had gone 2-16 against the Big Ten in the previous 2 years and completely flipped the trajectory.

He was named the Big Ten’s coach of the year and had the interim tag removed from his title a week after leading the Wildcats to a road win over Wisconsin.