More than one UNC football team will be making the journey to Ireland this August. The UNC women’s soccer team will play an exhibition match against Shelbourne FC Friday, August 28 in Dublin, the day before the Tar Heel football team faces TCU in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
“We’re incredibly excited for the opportunity to take our program to Ireland this fall,” head coach Damon Nahas said in a statement. “It presents a special opportunity for our team and university to have this experience alongside the football program… we’re grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to what’s to come for UNC football and women’s soccer in Ireland.”
The women’s soccer team’s match against Shelbourne will kick off at 2 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. Ireland time) in Dublin’s Tolka Park. A kickoff time for the football game between the Tar Heels and Horned Frogs the next day at the Aviva Stadium – roughly 2.5 miles away from Tolka Park – has not yet been set.
This will be the first international trip for the UNC women’s soccer program since 2011, when it visited Germany for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and played two exhibition matches against Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. Shelbourne F.C. currently competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and is 3-0-1 to start its season. It has finished as the league’s runner-up in the last three seasons while winning the 2024 Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Women’s Cup and the 2025 FAI Women’s President’s Cup.
In a statement, Shelbourne FC CEO Tomás Quinn said his club is “absolutely delighted” to welcome the Tar Heels to Dublin.
“It’s a great opportunity for our players and our supporters to enjoy a unique fixture showcasing the continued growth of the women’s game here in Ireland,” Quinn said.
There is a connection between the Tar Heels and Shelbourne. Maggie Pierce, who played for the Tar Heels from 2019 through 2022 and appeared in 80 matches, currently plays as a midfielder for Shelbourne. She helped UNC reach the NCAA College Cup in 2019 and 2022.
“Those connections are what make Carolina women’s soccer so special,” said Nahas.
Fans who want to purchase tickets to the women’s soccer game can do so on the Shelbourne F.C. website here. Travel, hotel options and tickets for the football game against TCU the next day are available here.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
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