NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick brings North Carolina Tar Heels to Dublin for college classic
Next year's Aviva Stadium renewal will see Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots and another two as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, face Texas Christian University in college football's season-opener.
Belichick left his position as Patriots head coach following a disappointing 2023 NFL season, and after a period where he was limited to media work, the 73-year-old was appointed head coach of the UNC Tar Heels in December in what many saw as an unexpected move into the college game.
Should he remain head coach of UNC after the 2025 season (barring, for example, a shock return to NFL sidelines) he will begin his second year of college football in Dublin.
'We're grateful to be selected to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. It's a tremendous opportunity for our program and we're excited to represent the university and our community on an international stage,' said Belichick.
Along with star players like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Tedy Bruschi, Belichick spearheaded two decades of dominance in New England across the 2000s and 2010s, appearing in nine Super Bowls, winning six.
His defensive game-plan was also key in earning the Giants their championships in 1986/87 and 90/91, earning Belichick the right for his name to be prefaced with the 'eight-time Super Bowl winner' tag, a feat as yet unmatched.
Belichick's infamous, grumpy media style grated with many journalists who covered him during his time in the NFL, and while a more fun side has appeared on TV in recent months, by the time he has another season of pressure under his belt, he could be his chippy old self in Dublin, which in itself is box office.
While Belichick will grab the headlines, it is TCU - themselves a powerhouse of football in Texas, where the sport is religion - who are the designated home team, and will bring some home comforts in the form of cheer squads, marching bands and the college football colour Dublin welcomes every August.
Both programmes bring a level of prestige. They both play their football in the 'power four' conferences - groupings of the best college athletic programmes in America. UNC recently produced quarterback Drake Maye, who impressed in his first year in the NFL at the Patriots, while TCU was once the home of pro-bowl quarterback Andy Dalton, and last year finished with a respectable 9-4 record in the Big 12 conference and won the New Mexico Bowl.
'We will take great pride in representing TCU internationally,' said TCU Head Football Coach Sonny Dykes. '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 the Aer Lingus College Football Classic 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.'
The last two Dublin classics were sell-out events, with a record-breaking homecoming for Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans followed by a southern battle between Florida State and Georgia Tech that resulted in a shock victory for the latter last August. This year's match-up pits the Kansas State Wildcats against the Iowa State Cyclones, the two Big 12 teams facing off in a storied rivalry dubbed 'Farmageddon'.
Last year's clash saw over 27,000 international visitors come to Dublin for gameweek, mostly from the United States, which the game's organisers say generates over €115m.
'We are thrilled to welcome TCU and the University of North Carolina to Dublin for the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic,' said Padraic O'Kane, co-founder and director of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
'This marquee matchup marks the fifth game in our initial five-year series, which we're proud to announce has now been extended by two more years through to 2028. Universities from Pittsburgh and Wisconsin are set to clash in 2027 and strong discussions are currently in play for a competitive 2028 game too.
'Even more exciting, we're working closely with the government and key stakeholders to extend the series by another decade - firmly establishing Dublin as the European home of college football and a premier destination for world-class international sporting events.'
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