Behind The Scenes of the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic Announcement

Once the fixture was confirmed, our next step was to meet the team behind the team on announcement day! With that in mind, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic team joined by some very special guests headed to the U.S.

First up was to Fort Worth Texas, home of the TCU Horned Frogs, our dedicated home team for the 2026 fixture. The day began with an early morning at the John Justin Athletic Center where the TCU football team were gathered for a regular team meeting - or so they thought! Head Coach Sonny Dykes revealed the exciting news that TCU football would officially be heading to Ireland for the college's first ever international game to kick off their 2026 season in Dublin, Ireland, playing in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Members of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic team were joined by Bill Byrne (Sr. Vice President of Global Sales, Aer Lingus), Mary McGuire (Global Head of Sponsorship & Partnerships), and as well as Aer Lingus Cabin Crew to help break the exciting news.

Courtesy of the TCU Athletics team, the exact moment that the news was broken to the players was caught on camera and the delight was clear to see. Check out the TCU announcement video - HERE

Head Coach Sonny Dykes had this to say to his team about the news “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us and our programme, I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of you, I really do believe that”. Co-Founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, John Anthony also had the opportunity to speak to the team upon announcement,  “We think this is much more than a game, it’s something you and your family will really treasure. We couldn't be more thrilled to have you in Dublin in 2026 and we look forward to seeing you there” 

Our motto for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic is ‘Much More Than A Game' and in moments like this it’s clear to see why. Most of these student athletes have never traveled internationally and will be getting their very first passport for the trip!

Whilst all of this was going on in Fort Worth, we also had another group breaking the good news just over 1000 miles away in Chapel Hill, North Carolina! Separate members of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic team were joined by The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emma Blain and Tony Flynn, Assistant Chief Executive of Dublin City Council. There was an added layer of excitement at the announcement for the Tar Heels as newly appointed eight-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick delivered the news. Belichick is arguably the most dominant figure in coaching across all sports, having led the Patriots to a breathtaking 19 winning seasons, winning 6 Super Bowls and introducing the world to some of the best football players to ever play in the league such as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots era under Belichick is widely considered as one of the greatest franchises in NFL history and Bill is looking to create another titan, except this time in the collegiate world with the Tar Heels. 

A huge announcement early into his college football coaching career, Belichick broke the news to his team that they would be the spotlight Week 0 fixture to kick off the 2026 season in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. “I’ve been involved in several International games in my career. I think they were some of the most memorable games I’ve been in. I’m excited for my team” said Belichick. The all star coach has a 3-1 record in International matchups from his time at the Patriots, so no doubt he will have great experience heading into his fifth game.

Check out the UNC Team Announcement - HERE 

Once the internal announcements had concluded, it was time to alert the public. At 3:00pm IT the news broke that the Aer Lingus College Football Classic had another top class college football fixture heading to the Emerald Isle. With Irish publications such as RTÉ, The Irish Independent, The Irish Times and even US outlets such as ESPN and The New York Times all releasing articles on the fixture. It was big news and the College Football world knew it.

Later in the afternoon on Tuesday the 22nd of April it was time for members of the TCU staff to announce the news through a hosted press conference with members of the media invited. Speaking at the press conference was Sonny Dykes, Head Football Coach; Mike Buddie, TCU’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics; Daniel W.Pullin, TCU President; Dr.Victor Boshini, TCU Chancellor; John Anthony, Co-Founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic;  Robert Hull, Consul General of Ireland, Austin; and Bill Byrne, Sr Vice President of Global Sales, Aer Lingus. All who had nothing but good words to say about the announcement. “This is not just a game, this is more than a game, of course it’s going to be exciting and it’s going to be memorable, but it's what we do around the game, the conversations and relationships we invest in.” said TCU President Daniel W.Pullin.

The following day it was time for the UNC Press Conference. Members of the local media were invited to hear from Bubba Cunningham, UNC Athletics Director; Bill Belichick, UNC Head Football Coach; John Anthony Co-Founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic; The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emma Blain; Frank Groome, Consul General of Ireland, Atlanta ;and Bill Byrne Sr Vice President of Global Sales, Aer Lingus. Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham showed his appreciation for the unique opportunity by stating. “We are extremely thankful, this gives our students a great opportunity to go over to Ireland and compete in a football game”. Bill Belichick had good memories from his time involved in International games when he was Head Coach of the New England Patriots. “I’ve been involved in several international games in my career - the international games are some of the most memorable games I’ve been involved in”. The Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain had this to say on behalf of Dublin welcoming the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. “Over the last couple of days I've really felt at home here - We look forward to painting the town even more blue in 2026” said Emma Blain, The Lord Mayor of Dublin.

In between all the excitement around the announcement, the team were given an introduction into TCU’s & UNC’s history with tours around campus and opportunities to meet some of the people who make these programmes so special. 

Nestled just a few miles from downtown Fort Worth, Texas Christian University (TCU) offers one of the most scenic campuses in the country. The Amon G.Carter Stadium - home to the TCU Horned Frogs is an immediate eye catcher, with its impressive architecture and video board. Even without a game going on, you can just sense how important football is to this University. Even with the limited time spent on campus, it is clear to see the huge investment that TCU put into their athletic programs. Not only on the field are they producing top athletes but there were nine TCU representatives who took part in the 2024 Paris Olympics across Basketball, Swimming and Beach Volleyball.
 

Whilst in UNC, the programme is not only known for their on the field prospect they have produced, but the University has a long history of creating generational talents in basketball. Most notably, 6x time NBA Champion Michael Jordan, widely considered the best player to ever play basketball. The Jordan brand lives on through UNC with the famous Jumpman logo sponsoring across all of their sporting teams. Alongside that our team also had the opportunity to meet with UNC’s Chancellor Lee Roberts to discuss the ‘Much More Than A Game’ initiative and gain a greater understanding around why our event is so special. This education was helped by the fact that UNC’s Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham was involved in the first ever college football game held in Dublin between Notre Dame and Navy over 30 years ago!

We are extremely excited to introduce these two unique programs to the Emerald Isle over the next few months and after our short but sweet trip, we already can’t wait for the 29th of August 2026.

2025 Game Tickets 

This year’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic, taking place on August 23rd will see Kansas State University take on Iowa State University in the first ever Big 12 Conference held in Ireland. 
With limited ticket availability, don’t miss out on your chance to be there!

Tickets Avaiilable - HERE