Eyes on Ireland as US college football game at Aviva Stadium attracted 4.7m viewers

Kansas State Wildcats marching band perform the US national anthem before the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium. Picture: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic held at Aviva Stadium in Dublin last weekend attracted a peak 4.7m viewers in the US, while more than 20,000 American visitors injected €130m into the economy. 

As visitor figures from the CSO for July showed the continued resurgence of the key US tourist market, this month's figures are likely to be significantly buoyed by the American football event which took place in the Lansdowne Road Stadium on Saturday. Some 25,999 international visitors travelled for the game, including 22,910 from the US. The average stay for these visitors in Ireland was estimated at seven nights, and the entire event is estimated to be worth €130m in spending, according to Grant Thornton.