5 potential international sites for Notre Dame Football to play Michigan

Believed by some to be a “regional rivalry,” Notre Dame football and Michigan can be made a worldwide rivalry.

Jim Harbaugh is no stranger to, well, strange. Whether it’s actions or quotes, or even wearing a sweatshirt and khakis on an 87 degree Utah night. Notre Dame football fans have only just begun to get of taste of his quirkiness.

Something Harbaugh and his Wolverines have done recently is take his team to foreign countries for vacations — I mean practice — in the spring. Trips to Rome, France and South Africa have included meeting the Pope, pizza taste testing and of course, football practice.

One of Harbaugh’s many quotes from Big Ten Media Day was saying that he’d like to get his Michigan team out to a foreign country for a game.

That seems like a good idea, and in this scenario, they’d match up well with another team that has played in different countries recently.

A mash up of the Shamrock Series and the Harbaugh Holiday — as we’ll call it — would be a pretty cool idea. I’m not sure how fans would feel about taking such a big game away from home turfs, but it would certainly bring intrigue wherever it goes.

I thought of 5 spots where the Notre Dame/Michigan rivalry can take place outside of the United States.

Honorable mention to both Montreal and Edmonton. American football is growing in Canada, and these two cities hold the top 24 highest single game attendance in CFL history.

Here are the five best international locations for a potential Notre Dame-Michigan matchup:

Berlin, Germany, Olympiastadion

Berlin was a good market for NFL Europa. The Berlin Thunder played at Olympiastadion from 2003-2007, and it’s a stadium that can pack in 76,000 people.

Dublin, Ireland, Aviva Stadium

An obvious choice, mostly because Notre Dame has played here before (and will again in 2020.) The Fighting Irish in Ireland just makes too much sense.

Rome, Italy, Stadio Olimpico

A place near and dear to Michigan because it was the site of its first spring trip. Rome actually does have an American football team. Rome may actually be the best vacation spot on this list for fans, as well.

Shanghai, China, Shanghai Stadium

Here’s one with a Michigan connection: the American Football League of China was actually founded by a former Wolverine. Chris McLaurin, a former tight end/linebacker in Ann Arbor, founded the league in 2013. Shanghai has produced the last 5 AFLC champions, and American football continues to grow there.

Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground

This stadium has never held an American football game. It has a capacity of over 100,000, making it the biggest stadium on this list. Given that Australia has produced quite a few NCAA and NFL players, it would be a solid location to host the Notre Dame/Michigan rivalry “Down Under.”