College Football

FSU to open 2024 season vs. Georgia Tech in Ireland

Seminoles are set for international start to 2024 season

By Tomahawk Nation News Mar 15, 2023, 10:52am EDT

Northwestern Wildcats v Nebraska Cornhuskers - Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2022

Garnet and gold and the emerald isle.

Florida State football will embark on its first international trip in 2024, heading to Ireland to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

Before the announcement, the news was first reported by Noles247.

“I am so excited for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, administration and fans for this opportunity,” head coach Mike Norvell said in a press release. “When this idea was first presented to me, I was immediately intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the people in our program. The way the 2024 season lays out with a third open date, the trip made sense from a football perspective as well. Very few people have the chance to travel to a different continent and experience another culture, much less take an entire team, so I am appreciative of everyone’s hard work and support to make this game happen.”

As the game was set to be played in Atlanta, FSU doesn’t have to give up a home game to make the trip happen.

According to FSU, tickets are currently available as part of travel or hospitality packages. Of the two, only travel packages are open to the public via Seminoles2Ireland.com:

All Seminole fans that secure a deposit package will be able to select a specific package prior to them going live to the public. A variety of options will be available to select the package that best fits your travel needs. This includes hotel accommodations from 3 to 5-star and Dublin only (Aug. 24-27), 2-city tours (Aug. 22-28) and 3-city tours (Aug. 20-28). Destinations will include Dublin, Kerry, Galway, Belfast Donegal, Kilkenny, London, and Edinburgh. All packages include game tickets on the FSU side, hotel accommodations, transportation excursions, exclusive Florida State Welcome Event and more!

It’s a continuation of an American college football-to-Ireland export tradition that dates back to 1988 (though no happened between 1990 and 2011). Since then, three other matchups have occured with a sixth scheduled for this season between Notre Dame and Navy. Those two have taken part in two of previously played seven games (2012, 1989), with the other matchups featuring Boston College vs. Army (1988), Pittsburgh vs. Rutgers (1989), Penn State vs. UCF (2014), Georgia Tech vs. Boston College (2016) and Nothwestern vs. Nebraska (2022).

“Florida State is a global brand, and this game further enforces that,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said. “This game allows us to provide an unmatched athletic and cultural experience for our student-athletes while representing Florida State on a global stage. I am looking forward to seeing our fans in Dublin while also making new fans across the Atlantic. We are appreciative of all the efforts that have already gone into the planning of this game and are excited for what is to come over the next year and a half.”

In recent years, the game has been played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, home of the country’s national soccer team.

The full release, via FSU:

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State will open its 2024 football season in Dublin, Ireland, against Georgia Tech, it was announced Wednesday. The 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a Georgia Tech home game and will be played on August 24, 2024, at Aviva Stadium.

“I am so excited for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, administration and fans for this opportunity,” head coach Mike Norvell said. “When this idea was first presented to me, I was immediately intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the people in our program. The way the 2024 season lays out with a third open date, the trip made sense from a football perspective as well. Very few people have the chance to travel to a different continent and experience another culture, much less take an entire team, so I am appreciative of everyone’s hard work and support to make this game happen.”

The 2024 season opener will be Florida State’s first game in program history outside of the United States and will be the fifth college football game played at Aviva Stadium. Notre Dame and Navy played in 2012 and are scheduled to meet again in 2023, while Georgia Tech played Boston College in 2016 and Northwestern faced Nebraska in 2022. The 2024 calendar has 14 weeks from Labor Day weekend to Thanksgiving weekend, meaning the Seminoles will have three open dates by playing in Week Zero.

“Florida State is a global brand, and this game further enforces that,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. “This game allows us to provide an unmatched athletic and cultural experience for our student-athletes while representing Florida State on a global stage. I am looking forward to seeing our fans in Dublin while also making new fans across the Atlantic. We are appreciative of all the efforts that have already gone into the planning of this game and are excited for what is to come over the next year and a half.”

At this time, all tickets for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic are exclusively available through travel or hospitality packages. Fans can put down a $250 package deposit for a travel package to secure game ticket section at Seminoles2Ireland.com. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

FSU’s complete 2024 schedule will be announced by the conference office early next year. The Seminoles open their 2023 season, which includes eight games in the state of Florida, on Sept. 3 against LSU in Orlando.

The release via the ACC:

Greensboro, N.C. (theACC.com) – 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 today. 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,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “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. The ACC is recognized around the globe for the combination of outstanding athletics and academics at its member institutions. We look forward to and are excited about showcasing these two teams and our incredible conference to the fans in Dublin.”

“The Aer Lingus College Football Classic is fast becoming a popular fixture in the Irish sporting calendar, with supporters from America, Ireland and beyond gathering in Dublin to enjoy the atmosphere and high-quality college football,” said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD. “The game will provide a huge boost to tourism and hospitality in Ireland, and we look forward to welcoming the teams and supporters of Georgia Tech and Florida State University to the Aviva Stadium in August 2024.”

Georgia Tech will hold a press conference today at 2:30 p.m. to discuss the game. Florida State will hold its press conference on March 21 at 10 a.m.

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.

IAEL most recently took gold in the Best Collaboration between Public and Private Sector category at the 2023 Invest in Ireland Awards and has been previously recognized as the Best International Sports Event (Federation of Irish Sport Sport Industry Awards, 2016), Best Major Event (Irish Tourism Awards, 2017) and Best Sporting Event (Event Industry Awards, 2017).

“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.”

Statements from Georgia Tech:

Georgia Tech Director of Athletics J Batt: “Georgia Tech is excited and grateful for the opportunity to return to Ireland and play ACC rival Florida State in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. More than 12,000 Tech fans made the trip to Dublin to see the Yellow Jackets defeat Boston College in 2016, and we’re looking forward to a large contingent of Jacket fans crossing the pond once again to cheer on Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium. As one of the world’s most renowned institutions and one of college football’s most recognizable programs, it’s a natural fit for the Yellow Jackets to be on the international stage, and we can’t wait for our student-athletes and fans to experience the culture of the Emerald Isle.”

Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key: “Being selected to play in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic is a great opportunity for Georgia Tech football. It’s a unique chance for our student-athletes to experience a new culture, for our fans to support us at an incredible destination and for Georgia Tech to further promote our Institute, athletics department, students and alumni on a global stage. It’s also 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.”

College Football (FBS) Games in Ireland:

1988 Lansdowne Road Stadium: Boston College 38, Army 24

1989 Lansdowne Road Stadium: Pittsburgh 46, Rutgers 29

1996 Croke Park: Notre Dame 54, Navy 27

2012 Aviva Stadium: Notre Dame 50, Navy 10

2014 Croke Park: Penn State 26, UCF 24

2016 Aviva Stadium: Georgia Tech 17, Boston College 14

2022 Aviva Stadium: Northwestern 31, Nebraska 28

2023 Aviva Stadium: Navy vs. Notre Dame

2024 Aviva Stadium: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech