Talks to secure the future of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and extend it in Dublin for another nine years are now at an “advanced” stage, the organisers say.
Tickets went on sale on Thursday for the 2025 edition of the game which will be played in the Aviva Stadium on August 23rd between Big 12 Conference rivals the Kansas State University Wildcats and Iowa State University Cyclones.
Affectionately known as “Farmageddon” by fans of the two teams, owing to the agricultural roots of the two universities, the rivalry is expected to attract a significant number of fans from the United States, with some 19,000 already confirmed to travel, the organisers have said.
Of the almost 48,000 people who attended last year’s instalment of the game between Florida State and Georgia Tech, more than 25,900 travelled from the US, according to a new report from Grant Thornton. They stayed in Ireland for an average of seven nights.
The accountancy firm, a sponsor of the annual event, said the game added some €146 million to the Irish economy last year. US attendees alone spent €135 million of that on travel and accommodation, the report estimates.
The game was also broadcast live on ESPN in the US and attracted some five million viewers, a record number for a college game held on the opening week of the season.
Speaking to The Irish Times last week, Padraic O’Kane, the director and cofounder of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, said organisers were now in “advanced negotiations” with Aer Lingus and the Government to secure the game in Dublin until 2034.
The restaurateur behind Fire and Sole at Dublin’s Mansion House said reaching an agreement on the extension would allow the organisers – his company Irish American Events, which he co-owns with US businessman John Anthony – to secure the best teams as soon as possible.
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Looking ahead he said the 2025 game will be particularly atmospheric because of the rivalry between Kansas State and Iowa State.
“We’ve almost got a 50:50 match from the two schools,” Mr O’Kane said on the number of fans travelling to the game. “So the rivalry is going to be really good whereas in the past, Florida State were by far the biggest audience last year, Nebraska before that.”
In a statement on Thursday, Susanne Carberry, chief customer officer at Aer Lingus, said the 2025 game is expected to the biggest instalment yet. “It also offers a significant opportunity to showcase Ireland to an international audience.”
