While Nebraska might still be reeling after a 34-7 road loss at Minnesota on Saturday, the football program announced some exciting news for the future on Monday morning.
In partnership with Irish American Events Limited, the Huskers will travel to Ireland and play Big Ten Conference foe Illinois to open the 2021 season on Saturday, Aug. 28.
The game, known as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Nebraska will be featured in the second of a five-game series in Dublin. Notre Dame will play Navy in the first matchup next season in 2020.
“Playing a game in Ireland provides another way to spread the Nebraska brand, and in this case on an international stage,” NU athletic director Bill Moos said via press release. “We are always looking for new scheduling opportunities and when this was presented, Coach Frost and I decided this would be an experience of a lifetime for the student-athletes in our program.
“This will also be a great trip for our fans, and knowing how Husker fans travel it will be great to see Dublin, Ireland turned Red.”
Nebraska’s 2021 meeting with Illinois was originally scheduled for Nov. 13, 2021, in Champaign, Ill.
Having now moved the game to Ireland, it will mark the first time the Huskers have played outside of the United States since facing Kansas State in the Coca-Cola Bowl in Tokyo, Japan, back in 1992.
“We look forward to taking our team to Ireland to kick off the 2021 season against Illinois,” Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost said in a statement. “This will provide great exposure for the Nebraska football program and the Big Ten Conference. Our first priority for the trip will be to play a football game, but it is also going to give our players a chance to visit a part of the world most of them will not have seen.”
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed plenty of excitement over brining Nebraska and its fan base to Ireland.
“It’s great to see new teams getting involved in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” Varadkar said in the release. “Tens of thousands of fans are expected to make the journey for each game in the series over the next five years, bringing with them a huge boost for the economy.
“Illinois and Nebraska players and fans can look forward to the best of Irish hospitality. The series will showcase Ireland as a location for international events and tournaments and put our world-leading tourism sector front and centre. The 2020 game between Notre Dame and Navy is fast approaching and now sports fans have another great occasion to plan for in 2021.”
Nebraska also announced the completion of 2021 non-conference schedule with the addition of a home game against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 13, the previous date of its trip to Illinois.
