College Football History: Games Played Outside the U.S.

Few people are aware of how long college football has been played abroad. International tournaments have existed for nearly as long as the sport itself. In 1874, Harvard and McGill University of Montreal in Quebec played a two-game series. Montreal Cricket Grounds served as the venue for the games. Harvard won 3-0 in the first match, which was played under a combination of rugby and soccer rules. Before coming back to Quebec for the second game, McGill traveled to Cambridge. The game was played according to McGill’s rugby-style rules, and Harvard won 1-0. An important turning point in the development of American football was this series. The modern sport was influenced by McGill’s rugby-style running game, which impressed Harvard players that they eventually implemented similar rules.

Beyond the first series, the Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba, represented another distinctive phase of international play. LSU defeated the University of Havana 56-0 in the inaugural Bacardi Bowl, which took place in 1907. At La Tropical Stadium, Mississippi Southern defeated Havana 55-0 in the final Bacardi Bowl in 1946. Although there was occasionally dispute, these games were frequently important social gatherings as part of a bigger sports festival held in Cuba. For example, Auburn played Villanova in its first bowl game in program history in Havana in 1937. A last-minute reprinting saved the game after Fulgencio Batista, the president of Cuba at the time, discovered his photo was absent from the game program, almost leading to its cancellation.

The Modern Era

The late 1970s marked the start of the contemporary era of international play. The 1976 Pioneer Bowl between Grambling State and Morgan State in Tokyo was the first postseason match played outside of the Americas, and the NCAA now allows its member schools to play one regular-season game abroad every four years. Grambling State defeated Korakuen Stadium 42-16 in front of 50,000 spectators. This marked the beginning of the Mirage Bowl and later the Coca-Cola Classic series of games in Japan. The majority of the biggest crowds for international games were present at the games, which were a huge success. With 86,000 spectators, a Pac-10 game between UCLA and Oregon State in 1980 attracted the biggest crowd of any international event. The bowl continued to exist until December 1993.

A new level of interest was generated by the 1988 Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin, Ireland. In the first college football game ever played in Europe during the regular season, Boston College defeated Army 38-24. With an average attendance of over 40,000, the game has been played intermittently ever since and is now known as the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. It has been a Week Zero mainstay since 2022.

At Aviva Stadium in Ireland in 2024, Georgia Teach, who was ranked no. 10, defeated then-No. 10 Florida State 24–21 in the largest upset to ever occur abroad.

Since its approval in 2014, the Bahamas Bowl has established itself as a postseason staple outside of Europe. Teams from the MAC and C-USA compete in the bowl game. Western Kentucky defeated Central Michigan 49-48 in the first game, which was the highest score in the organization’s history.

Most attended games played outside the United States

 

 

Date	Score	Winniner	Loser	Stadium	City	Country	Attendance
Nov. 30, 1980	34–3	UCLA	Oregon State	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	86,000
Nov. 28, 1981	21–16	Air Force	San Diego State	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	80,000
Nov. 20, 1929	28–0	Mississippi College	National Autonomous University of Mexico	Estadio Val Buena	Mexico City	Mexico	75,000
Nov. 26, 1983	34–12	SMU	Houston	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	70,000
Nov. 30, 1985	20–6	USC	Oregon	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	65,000
Nov. 27, 1982	21–17	Clemson	Wake Forest	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	64,700
Nov. 24, 1979	40–15	Notre Dame	Miami	Korakuen Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	62,574
Aug. 27, 2016	51–31	Cal	Hawaii	ANZ Stadium	Sydney	Australia	61,247
Nov. 17, 1984	45–31	Army	Montana	National Olympic Stadium	Tokyo	Japan	60,000
Dec. 3, 1988	45–42	Oklahoma State	Texas Tech	Tokyo Dome	Tokyo	Japan	56,000