Let’s face it, life can be challenging.
Thankfully, folks can always turn to sports to escape. And if that escape includes spending a few days in the historic old country of Ireland, even better. That’s what lies ahead for the TCU Horned Frogs and North Carolina Tar Heels football teams. They will start the 2026 season squaring off in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. That’s American football, by the way, with all due respect to the European style we here call soccer. Great sport, and we welcome the World Cup here in the Metroplex, but it seems Europeans are getting their own hankering for the kind of football we’ve all known since before Sammy Baugh was winning games for the Horned Frogs.
This past week a couple of visitors from Ireland made their way to TCU to discuss the game and sports diplomacy in general. Ireland Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Neale Richmond was there with former Aer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanaugh representing Dublin, alongside TCU Chancellor Daniel Pullin and TCU Athletics Director Mike Buddie. They discussed everything from the game itself to the great time visitors have visiting Dublin to the economic impact. Oh, and it’s just a heck of an experience for a young athlete – many who have never even thought of getting a passport, which they’ll need for that visit. “Very much the timeline for this game is much more than a day. Take your family, bring business partners, play a round of golf,” Richmond said. “Everything we teach out students is best applied when we’re not on campus,” Pullin said. Pullin noted that about 40% of the TCU student body has studied abroad. He said the goal is to increase that to 50% or more. “We want as many Horned Frogs to see the world as possible,” he said. “We see it as a great academic opportunity as well as an athletic one.” Pullin stressed that opportunities such as this can bring an enduring benefit to both the United States and Ireland. After all, the more someone knows about nations other than their own, the more they can do for the world as a whole.
The same goes for fans, and TCU is offering travel packages to attend the game and enjoy all the culture Dublin has to offer. Yes, the Horned Frogs are giving up their home game in the two-season matchups with the Tar Heels. This season’s game was played in North Carolina, though you could hardly tell by the final score as TCU spoiled Bill Belichick’s debut as a college coach.
But as Richmond pointed out, they are getting so much more in return. “This is a great way for universities to use this as a tool to bring the team together,” he said.
Nothing like a trip across the pond to create a bonding experience. And if things go as they did this year, it’ll all wrap up nicely with victory on the gridiron – for TCU, that is. As for the Tar Heels, they need the bonding for a different reason.
Richmond said TCU was chosen as a participant because they are a program that has been garnering national attention for some time. And yes, he noted the 2023 national championship game against Georgia – never mind the final score, they got there, which is something only two schools in the entire U.S. can say. But even before that, with Gary Patterson at the helm, the Horned Frogs became a team recognized nationwide, including a No. 2 national and 13-0 season in 2010-11. Now it’s time for them to be recognized elsewhere in the world.
“We look at teams with dynamic programs,” Richmond said. “And TCU has had some really good seasons. “The ones that really embrace it have gotten the most out of it.”
Several teams have appeared in the game more than once. Notre Dame has participated three times (3-0) – which, of course, only makes sense – as has Navy (0-3), while Boston College (1-1) and Georgia Tech (2-0) have two appearances each. In 2027 Pittsburgh (1-0) will make its second appearance with newcomer Wisconsin. “There have become deep-seeded relationships,” Richmond said.
As for the fans, yes, each school will bring their own, but the locals from Ireland embrace the game each year. Richmond said on average about 25,000 fans will adopt a team as their own and spend the day – even the week – cheering for them. And the players come home knowing they have a whole new set of fans keeping track of their season.
As Buddie said, it’s a chance for players to “engage and immerse themselves in more than just putting on the pads and playing football.”
Kavanaugh acknowledged that diplomacy is all about relationships and networking. This game the days leading up are filled with diplomacy. “It’s so much more than the commercial benefit,” he said. “This is about relationships.” As for leading up to the game, there will be the usual. There will be traditional pep rallies – albeit with some additional new fans – and, of course, tailgating. “You will have what you expect on game day,” Kavanaugh said. Well, there might be a few more Guiness on hand.
