How Tourism Ireland has Capitalised on College Football Opener to Score Big in the United States

This Saturday (29th August), the Aviva Stadium will host Texas Christian University (TCU) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) for the first game of the 2026 US College Football season, known as ‘Week Zero’. Around 14,000 Americans are expected to travel here for the game. They’ll spend an average of seven nights travelling right across the island of Ireland – generating millions of euro for the economy. 

2026 marks the fifth consecutive year that Ireland has hosted the opening ‘Week Zero’ fixture of the US college football season. The first four games generated €514 million for the Irish economy, according to Grant Thornton.

Tourism Ireland in the United States has been working hard to leverage the tourism potential of this weekend’s game – using the high-profile sporting event to position the island of Ireland front and centre for millions of potential US holidaymakers.

The game will reach millions of viewers across the US, airing live on ESPN, America’s go-to sports network, while also being streamed for the first time this year on Disney+. Tourism Ireland has partnered with ESPN to highlight Ireland to this huge audience. Activity will include:

• footage of the island of Ireland, spotlighting Ireland’s scenery and experiences; and

• on-screen callouts encouraging viewers to begin planning their visit on Tourism Ireland’s website, Ireland.com.

  
  

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “The Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on Ireland in one of our most important markets. We are delighted to partner with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, to maximise the tourism benefits of this weekend’s game. Dublin has become the second home of American College Football, creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans and teams and delivering significant benefit for our economy. Visiting teams differ each year and make Ireland a destination of interest for audiences who might not otherwise be considering a trip. We warmly welcome both teams and the thousands of fans who have travelled here for this weekend’s opening fixture of the 2026 US College Football season. 

“We know from previous College Football events in Dublin that American fans typically stay seven nights on average and tour extensively around our regions, contributing substantially to local tourism businesses right across the island. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN and streamed via Disney+ to millions of people across the United States – providing a fantastic opportunity to highlight Ireland as a wonderful holiday destination, as well as a top location to host large-scale international sporting events.”

Over the past five years, Tourism Ireland has been working closely with Anthony Travel, the official travel company for the college football GAMES, and other travel partners. New and incremental visitors to Ireland are won through alumni associations, fan sites, targeted digital promotion and earned media, with the televised spotlight of the game offering an opportunity to share travel content from the island of Ireland, inspiring future travel interest.