The North Carolina Tar Heels and TCU Horned Frogs will open the 2026 season in Ireland, both schools announced Tuesday.
The game, dubbed the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, August 29, 2026, which is Week Zero.
“We are excited to welcome TCU and North Carolina to Dublin for the 2026 Aer Lingus Classic and offer one-of-a-kind experiences to local and traveling fans,” said John Anthony, co-founder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and Executive VP of On Location. “This compelling matchup promises to deliver another unforgettable start to the college football season in front of a passionate crowd at Aviva Stadium. We are honored that elite universities like TCU and UNC will continue our tradition to deliver ‘Much More Than a Game’ to their programs and supporters.”
North Carolina was originally scheduled to travel to take on TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 5, which is Week 1 that season.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and staff to enjoy a terrific educational and cultural experience while showcasing the Carolina brand internationally,” said Carolina Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. “We appreciate being chosen for this event by Aer Lingus and thank John Anthony and his staff for making this possible. We look forward to having our alumni and fans join us in Ireland and cheer us on in person for what will be a memorable and special trip.”
“We’re grateful to be selected to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” said Carolina Head Coach Bill Belichick. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our program and we’re excited to represent the university and our fans on an international stage.”
North Carolina-TCU will be the seventh college football game played at Aviva Stadium following Notre Dame-Navy (2012 and 2023), Georgia Tech-Boston College (2016), Northwestern-Nebraska (2022), Florida State-Georgia Tech (2024), and Iowa State-Kansas State (2025).
“We are extremely honored that TCU has been invited to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Buddie said. “This is more than just a football game. It’s an opportunity to advance TCU’s brand globally while having our student-athletes experience a unique educational opportunity and memory of a lifetime. We thank Aer Lingus and Irish American Events for our selection and know our fans will travel very well, turning Dublin into a sea of purple.”
“We will take great pride in representing TCU internationally,” TCU Head Football Coach Sonny Dykes said. “With a good number of our players not having traveled overseas, I am most happy for them to have this opportunity and very much appreciate Aer Lingus and Irish American Events making it possible for them as well as all of TCU to share in this experience. It will be special to take the field in Dublin and for our fans to see us on this type of stage in Ireland. We have enjoyed watching past Aer Lingus College Football Classic games, and it’s a true honor for us to now play in it and kick off the 2026 college football season.”
TCU will serve as the home team in the contest against North Carolina.
The 2027 Aer Lingus College Football Classic was revealed in November 2023, and it will feature a non-conference matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and Pitt Panthers.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
Future North Carolina Football Schedules
North Carolina and TCU will meet in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Game set for Saturday, Aug. 29 (Week Zero).
TCU was previously slated to host UNC in Week 1 on Sept. 5. pic.twitter.com/AtEtXvdPDP
— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) April 22, 2025
I like to see more neutral sites for P4 OOC games.
I don’t like seeing too many “neutral site” out of conference games between Power Four opponents. Attendance in recent years for these “mid-tier” neutral site games has been disappointing at best. Also, are teams willing to sacrifice revenue from a home game to play in a random neutral site game in, say, Arlington or Orlando?
Pardon me Creighton Main thing I like neutral site games with P4 OOC that you have both Fan bases for example Buffalo, NY host Michigan vs Alabama although Michigan will have slightly more Fans however as a Georgia Fan, I have a lot of respect for Alabama Fans.
Disadvantage I have with campus P4 OOC games that visiting team will have more Fans than Home team & do I want to see More Michigan Fans in Syracuse the answer is no I really like Home Teams Fans no matter who it is.
TCU sacrificing a home game to play in Ireland? It’s great for TCU to be getting international exposure, but I’m not too thrilled that TCU’s “home” half of the home-and-home with Chapel Hill is being played in Dublin as opposed to Fort Worth.
A trend that appears more and more common for the XII members unfortunately.
I haven’t followed the Irish preseason games, but I’m guessing there must be a decent number of local Irish who go to these games. I’m guessing these must make the schools money. I just don’t see how big schools with large stadiums will give up a home game to play outside the country. I can see an away destination like Vegas or Orlando, but not outside of the country.
If NFL have international games so can CFB.
I am a Fan of neutral site games for P4 OOC games campus games are excellent for conference & cupcake games.