FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU and North Carolina will play their 2026 opener in Ireland, which will come a year after coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels at home against the Horned Frogs.

The Texas Christian University football team will play its 2026 season opener against North Carolina on Aug. 29 as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which holds 47,000 people. TCU will be the home team. It will be the university’s first game abroad.

Texas Christian University is set to kick off the 2026 football season in the Aer Lingus Classic against the University of North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland, the university announced on Tuesday.