49,000 people were announced to be in attendance at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 26 for the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic between Notre Dame and Navy, according to NDInsider.
Ahead of the event, organizers said that 39,176 fans would be traveling directly from the US to Ireland for the event that ultimately saw Notre Dame beat longtime rivals Navy 42-3.
This represented a marked increase from last year's inaugural Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which drew 14,900 US visitors for the Northwestern vs. Nebraska game.
Organizers noted that the 2023 figure represented "a new world record for the largest number of Americans to travel internationally for a single sporting event."
It's estimated that on Saturday afternoon ahead of the game, more than 20,000 people attended the Notre Dame pre-game parade on Dublin's Dame Street, which was fittingly renamed "Notre Dame Street" for the occasion.
Tá Notre Dame sa Bhaile 🇮🇪☘️
What an incredible turnout for the @NDFootball tailgate on ‘Notre Dame Street’.
Only a few more hours ‘til kickoff! #MuchMoreThanAGame | #TouchdownIreland pic.twitter.com/LUiyf6x4cY
— Aer Lingus College Football Classic (@cfbireland) August 26, 2023
Ahead of Saturday's American college football game, an independent report from Fáilte Ireland and Grant Thornton predicted the event would be worth in excess of €147 million to the Irish economy.
While Dublin was decked out in blue and gold for Saturday's big game, the wave of visitors were expected to explore other parts of Ireland as well before and after the game, a welcome boost to the economy.
Much More Than A Game! ☘️🏈
The 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic between @NDFootball and @NavyFB was spectacular!
Thank you all for such a wonderful night of American Football in Dublin at the @AVIVAStadium. #MuchMoreThanAGame | #TouchdownIreland pic.twitter.com/bLfG6QymCl
— Aer Lingus College Football Classic (@cfbireland) August 27, 2023
This year was the second installment of the five-game Aer Lingus College Football Classic series.
Georgia Tech and Florida State will face off in Dublin's Aviva Stadium for next year's Aer Lingus College Football Classic on August 24, 2024.
The game will mark Florida State's first-ever overseas fixture, while Georgia Tech will be returning to Dublin for the first time since 2016 when they defeated Boston College 17-14.
It's official!
We can reveal that @GeorgiaTechFB and @FSUFootball will play in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic! 🏈☘️
Save the date, August 24, 2024. 🗓️
More information available at: https://t.co/f7fi7h2kBs#MuchMoreThanAGame | #TouchdownIreland pic.twitter.com/ou8QRza6BP
— Aer Lingus College Football Classic (@cfbireland) March 15, 2023
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