The Horned Frogs will battle Tar Heels in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in 2026 Week Zero
Make sure your passports are up to date TCU fans, the Horned Frogs are going international. TCU Football announced Tuesday that it would be headed to Dublin, Ireland to open the 2026 season, taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
Originally scheduled to be played September 5, 2026 in Fort Worth at Amon G. Carter Stadium as part of the home-and-home non-conference schedule arrangement beginning with the 2025 contest at Chapel Hill, NC. Now the game will be played as the headline opener for the College Football season in 2026 in Week Zero, on August 29 at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. TCU’s 2026 home schedule still features at least six home games (Arkansas State, BYU, Utah, Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia) with one open non-conference spot likely to be filled with a home game hosting an FCS opponent.
Ireland has hosted CFB games as far back as 1988 with the the Aer Lingus College Football Classic first being played in 2016 and annually since 2022 as a premier highlight of the sport’s opening weekend. In 2024, the game was a thriller seeing Georgia Tech defeat reigning ACC Champion Florida State with a walk-off field goal. The 2025 brings Farmageddon to Ireland for a Big 12 clash between Kansas State and Iowa State on August 23.
2026 Game Announcement ☘️@TCUFootball & @UNCFootball will officially kick off the 2026 Football Season right here in Dublin, Ireland
The 2022 @CFBPlayoff finalists will look to start their season off the right way as they face Bill Belichicks @UNCFootball.
What a game… pic.twitter.com/HrFxE6wFJT
— Aer Lingus College Football Classic (@cfbireland) April 22, 2025