GREENSBORO, N.C. — Florida State and Georgia Tech will open the 2024 football season in Dublin, Ireland, in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Wednesday.
The game, which will be the ACC opener for both schools, will be held Aug. 24, 2024, at Aviva Stadium, and Georgia Tech will serve as the home team.
This will be the second time two ACC schools have opened the season in Dublin. Georgia Tech, which is making its second appearance in the Aer Lingus Classic, downed Boston College, 17-14, in the 2016 version in Dublin. This will mark the first international game in the storied history of Florida State football.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes at Florida State and Georgia Tech to expand the reach of ACC football and play in front of an international audience,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “We appreciate the flexibility of both Florida State and Georgia Tech, and thank our partners at Irish American Events, for making this game a reality.”
Georgia Tech will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the game. Florida State will hold its press conference on March 21 at 10 a.m.
“Being selected to play in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a great opportunity for Georgia Tech football," Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key said. "It’s...a great platform for the ACC to showcase our brand of football and what makes us one of the top conferences in college football. It’s a long way away, and we have a lot of things to focus on in the meantime, but we’re excited for today’s announcement.”
The game is being organized by Irish American Events Ltd. (IAEL). Anthony Travel/On Location and Corporate.ie partnered together in 2016 to create the Aer Lingus College Football Classic through the formation of IAEL. IAEL aims to bring American college football to Ireland each year to promote Ireland as a travel destination, and 2024 will be the third consecutive season that college football begins its season with a game in Dublin between two prestigious teams.
“After tremendous success in 2022 with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic leading the Irish tourism recovery post-COVID, we are absolutely thrilled to be heading back to Ireland in 2023 and now to announce this exciting matchup between ACC foes Florida State and Georgia Tech in 2024,” said John Anthony, Co-Founder of the Aer Lingus Classic and Executive VP, Collegiate of On Location. “We are excited to welcome Georgia Tech back again and look forward to introducing Florida State and Seminole fans to the spectacular people and beauty of Ireland."
