Navy-Notre Dame to open their 2020 season in Dublin

Navy and Notre Dame will play their annual rivalry game in Dublin, Ireland, to open the 2020 season.

The schools, along with Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, announced Thursday the 94th meeting for Aug. 29, 2020. The game is the first of five American college football games at Aviva Stadium sponsored by Aer Lingus airlines.

“College football is one of the greatest spectacles in world sport and to bring it back to Ireland for a five-year series is wonderful news for Irish tourism and for sports fans,” Varadkar said in a statement.

The Fighting Irish and Midshipmen previously played in Dublin in 1996 and 2012.

“In 2012, it was one of the greatest airlifts in all of sports with more than 35,000 people coming from the United States to witness the beauty of Ireland and the extravaganza that is Navy-Notre Dame and we expect just as many people to return in 2020,” Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said in a statement. “The support and enthusiasm for the game in Ireland is magnificent with the complete support from the Prime Minister and the Irish government agencies. We are looking forward to a great matchup in a country that knows no bounds for hospitality.”

Notre Dame and Navy face each other Saturday in San Diego.

The 2020 Navy-Notre Dame game had previously been scheduled to be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“It wasn’t long after our return from that trip (to Ireland) that Navy initiated conversations with the hopes of bringing this matchup back to Dublin,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said. “Chet and his staff at Navy deserve a ton of credit for making this a reality. I’m so excited, not only for our student-athletes and those that will travel from the states, but for the people of Ireland and all of those that will make this another experience to cherish.”