WOW! US College Football game to deliver huge boost to Irish economy as thousands jet in

The latest edition of the Aer Lingus American Football classic between Kansas State University and Iowa State University is set to generate more than €130 million for the Irish economy, a new report has found. 

The highly-anticipated game will take place at 5pm on August 23 in the Aviva stadium with 24,000 international fans set to hit the capital, the majority of which will be Americans. 

It is estimated that up to 22,000 people will be making the journey from the United States for the fixture, which marks the beginning of the new College Football season.

The game between the 'Wildcats' and 'Cyclones' is the season opener of the 2025 College Football season known as 'week zero'. It's also being billed as the most competitive game to be played outside the US with both teams ranked in the top 25.

The game will be broadcast to millions of homes across American on ESPN as well as across the world. Based on recent years, around 4.5 million people will watch the match in America alone.

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A huge rivalry exists between the two teams with their meetings known as 'Farmageddon'. The stakes couldn't be higher with the winner of the game predicted to reach the 2025 College Football playoffs. It will be a historic affair in Dublin as it's the first ever Big-12 conference matchup to be played on Irish soil. 

The eye-watering figures surrounding the fixture has been revealed as part of Grant Thornton's economic post game report, based on the 2024 Aer Lingus Classic between Georgia Tech and Florida State.

The report reveals the huge economic benefits of Ireland hosting the Aer Lingus classic football games in recent times.  It found that the three previous college games generated €382 million for the Irish economy with the upcoming match set to bring the number to over half a billion at €512. 

The Grant Thornton report also says that many of the international visitors are set to stay in Ireland for up to seven nights around attending the game. This represents a massive boost for the country's tourism industry before the end of the peak season of travel.

Welcoming the publication of the report and speaking ahead of the upcoming match, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said: "On August 23, Kansas State and Iowa State Universities will face off will face off in what promises to be a superb spectacle, in what will be much more than a football game, rather a celebration of culture, connection and economic opportunity".  

Irish fans will get the unique chance to have the authentic American football experience with tailgates and pep rallies planned throughout Dublin in the lead up to the game. Merrion square will be the location for the pep rallies for both teams whilst each University will be assigned pubs where they can come together for the tailgating.

The famous band march from the RDS to the Aviva Stadium before kick off will be one of the highlights of the festivities. 

Each university will travel to Ireland with over 125 members from their band and cheer teams who will be an integral part of the celebratory atmosphere of gameday. A spectator flyover from an Aer Lingus aircraft is also planned to fill the skies above Aviva stadium ahead of kick off. 

August 23 will mark a hectic day in the capital with Robbie Williams playing a concert in Croke Park the same evening as the College Football game in what is set to be a huge end to the day for the Irish economy. 

The new report illustrates how the hosting of American College Football games have played a huge role in enhancing tourism, spreading the popularity of American Football in Ireland, contributing massively to the economy, creating connections between the countries in both the business and education sectors. 

These advantages will be magnified once more with Dublin set to host its first-ever regular season NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park on September 28 which will only further the beneficial partnership between both countries through Sport.