Nebraska, Northwestern to play in Dublin, Ireland in 2022

By Kevin Kelley -

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Northwestern Wildcats will play in Dublin, Ireland, in 2022, both schools announced on Thursday.

The Game, dubbed the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, August 27, 2022, which is Week Zero.

“We are excited to reschedule the trip to Ireland for our football program,” Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos said. “The young men in our program have been looking forward to this trip and we are happy to provide them this memorable experience. I know our great Husker fan base will be excited as well and the opportunity to travel to Ireland to see their team compete on an international stage will truly be special.

“I also want to thank Irish American Events for being a great partner throughout this process the past couple years. We were pleased Northwestern was willing to move a home game to Ireland and look forward to a great season opener in Ireland in 2022.”

Nebraska was originally scheduled to play Illinois in Ireland to open the 2021 season, but the game was moved to Champaign, Ill., due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“This is an incredible opportunity for our entire University community, from student-athletes to coaches, alumni and fans,” said Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald. “We are thrilled that our program will get to experience the beautiful Irish culture, while we continue to help grow the game of college football on a global stage. It’s an honor to be included in this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we can’t wait to have the Northwestern faithful join us in one of the world’s most amazing settings.”

Nebraska and Northwestern were previously scheduled to meet in Evanston, Ill., on Oct. 5, 2022. Both teams will now have open dates that week.

“The announcement of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic for August 2022 is really good news, ” said Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Executive Vice President, North America & Australia. “As we get ready to restart international tourism to the island of Ireland, the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers will deliver a very welcome boost for tourism from the United States, with about 23,000 people expected to travel here from the U.S. and Europe. Our message to the teams and their fans is that we cannot wait to roll out the ‘green carpet’ and welcome them to Dublin and Ireland. I am confident that the Aer Lingus Classic will be a truly wonderful opportunity to showcase Ireland and, more generally, the many attractions we offer as a holiday destination.”

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