Sport

College football clash between Notre Dame and Navy at the Aviva fully sold out

A record number of up to 40,000 international fans travelling from the US for the game

Nebraska Cornhuskers make their way onto the pitch for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic match against Northwestern Wildcats at the Aviva Stadium last August. Photograph: Oisin Keniry/Getty Images
Louise Lawless
Wed May 24 2023 - 00:01

Tickets for the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic later this year between Notre Dame and Navy have completely sold out.

College football fans from home and abroad will descend on the Aviva Stadium in advance of the highly anticipated match on August 26th.

It is estimated that a total over 40,000 international fans will travel to Ireland for the game, the vast majority directly from the United States,. This would represent a record for the number of people from the US to travel internationally for a single sporting event.

At last year’s event, when Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-28, fans were treated to free food and drinks after a technological fault meant payments could not be processed. Supporters were notified in the first half that the credit card machines were down at the Aviva Stadium due to the Wifi connection, meaning fans could eat and drink for free.

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“The demand for tickets for the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic proves that Ireland is the home of college football outside of the United States,” says Padraic O’Kane, co-founder and director of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

“The game [is] set to provide a huge boost to the Irish economy and hospitality sector.”

The game between Notre Dame and Navy, which kicks off at 7.30pm Irish time, is due to be televised live and streamed on NBC in the United States to an estimated audience of more than 4 million, while Sky Sports will also be broadcasting live to Irish and UK audiences.