Tickets for the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin have gone on public sale today, with Texas Christian University (TCU) set to face the University of North Carolina (UNC) at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 29th.

The game will mark the official opening fixture of the US college football season for the fifth consecutive year in Dublin and is expected once again to draw large travelling support alongside Irish fans.

TCU, based in Fort Worth, Texas, will serve as the designated home team when the Horned Frogs meet the Tar Heels in the capital. The fixture also carries added interest following the appointment of Bill Belichick as head coach at UNC.

Belichick is widely regarded as one of the most successful coaches in the history of American football, having won eight Super Bowl titles in the NFL — six as head coach of the New England Patriots and two as an assistant coach with the New York Giants. During his career he helped develop some of the sport’s most recognisable players including Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

The matchup will be just the fifth meeting between TCU and North Carolina, dating back to 1940, and the first time the two programmes have faced each other outside the United States.

The game will also feature Irish involvement with Newry native Adam McCann-Gibbs expected to make his college football debut as punter for UNC when the Tar Heels take to the field in Dublin.

More than 14,000 international visitors are expected to travel to Ireland for the event, which has become a regular feature of the Irish sporting calendar. Last year’s game between Kansas State and Iowa State was a sell-out and generated an estimated €132 million in economic impact for the Irish economy.

Beyond the game itself, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic week includes a programme of cultural, business, academic, sporting and community events across Dublin.

Susanne Carberry, Chief Customer Officer at Aer Lingus, said the airline was looking forward to welcoming both teams and their supporters to Ireland.

“Everyone at Aer Lingus is busy preparing for the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which promises to be an exciting matchup between TCU and UNC,” she said. “The Aer Lingus College Football Classic is not only a standout sporting occasion, but an event that also helps strengthen business, economic and educational ties between Ireland and North America. We are really looking forward to welcoming the Tar Heels as well as TCU’s Horned Frogs to Dublin this August to play at the Aviva Stadium.”

Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam said the event would once again bring a global audience to the capital.

“Celebrating Dublin means bringing the world to our city and the Aer Lingus College Football Classic does exactly that,” he said. “With Bill Belichick on the sidelines and thousands of fans descending on the capital, Dublin will once again become the European home of college football.”

Padraic O’Kane, CEO of EHL Experiences and co-founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, said the start of the public ticket sale marked the beginning of the countdown to this year’s game.

“With tickets going on sale in Ireland this week, the countdown to another unforgettable Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin truly begins,” he said. “August 29th will mark our fifth consecutive game at the Aviva Stadium, and each year the excitement, atmosphere and global interest continue to grow. The arrival of TCU, UNC and Coach Belichick promises another spectacular showcase of American football in Ireland.”

Tickets for the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic are now available through Ticketmaster.

 

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