The Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium last August gave the Irish economy a €132 million boost, according to an economic impact report from Grant Thornton.
The game between the Kansas State Wildcats and the Iowa State Cyclones saw the Cyclones clinch victory 24-21. Grant Thornton said the event “proved to have another exceptionally positive impact” on the Irish economy.
The game was broadcast live on ESPN in the United States where it attracted a peak audience of 4.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the week.
With an average of four million viewers, it was the second most-watched sports telecast of the weekend behind the main portion of Sunday’s Tour Championship final round in golf on NBC.
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The viewership included large numbers from the states of Kansas and Iowa, “providing a new audience to the island of Ireland”, the report said.
The Aviva Stadium was a sell-out once again, with 47,266 fans in attendance, including 25,999 international visitors. There were 22,910 US visitors, many of whom came for the game and stayed for about seven nights on average, the report said.
There were 21,227 domestic spectators, with 3,089 from the rest of the world making up the balance of the crowd capacity. Non-American visitors stayed in Ireland for an average of two nights.
Beyond the economic impact that was generated from the game, the report said there were a range of other benefits and activities.
These included more than 35 business, academic, political, community, social and sporting events throughout the week in the run-up to the game. “These activities have fostered strong international ties and generated a substantial economic impact,” Grant Thornton said.
Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton said the game brought “an exceptional boost” to the Irish economy.
“We are looking forward to another successful game in 2026 as we welcome Texas Christian University and the University of North Carolina to Dublin, the European home of college football,” she added. That game takes place on August 29th.
