NEW ORLEANS – Dublin will host Ireland's first NFL regular season game in 2025 when the Pittsburgh Steelers played at Historic Croke Park.
The Irish capital will join Madrid and Berlin as their first hosts next season as the league expands its global footprint. Earlier this week, we announced that the NFL game will be played at Australia's iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2026.
The Steelers have a long-standing relationship with the Emerald Isle and have a partnership with the Gaelic Athletics Association, which operates Croke Park, Ireland's leading national stadium.
The date and Pittsburgh opponents will be announced this spring.
“I think the emotions we all heard from all of us are excited to bring Ireland a regular season game with the Steelers. And yes, it's going to be back to the fans in the end.” NFL International Reilly, Vice President of Events. “We see Irish fans traveling to the game in London, Germany and elsewhere, and this is a game in Irish soil, Dublin, Croke Park and an opportunity to create an incredible atmosphere. ”
The Steelers are scheduled to play home games next season against AFC North Rivals Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland along with the Bills, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Colts and Seahawks.
“Scheduling Steelers' opponents will be done this spring as part of a more traditional scheduling timeline,” O'Reilly said. “I can't really comment on the details there. That said, my sense is that there are a lot of clubs interested in being part of this historic game. This is a lot of the It's the first big thing in a market where people are excited about.”
As of the 2025 season, the NFL can schedule up to eight regular season games internationally.
London will be set for next season 3. The Browns and Jets will be the home team in the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jets in the game at Wembley Stadium. The Colts will be the home team for the Berlin Games at the Olympic Stadium, while the Dolphins will be hosting the Bernabeu, the home stadium of Spanish football club Real Madrid.
The league is also considering teams playing consecutively in various European cities.
The Steelers played the Bears in the 1997 preseason game at Croke Park, which has over 82,000 abilities, and a college football match was played in Ireland in the late 1980s, dating back to the Old Emerald Isle Classic. .
Notre Dame played the Navy at Croke Park in 1996, and Pennsylvania State played UCF in 2014. For the past three years, the Aerinsas College Football Classic has been performed at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Kansas will play Iowa on August 23rd.
“I think the focus on growing our game globally is growing every level of the game,” O'Reilly said.
The Rooney family, who founded and still owned Steelers, has deep Ireland roots. The family can then retrace their lineage into county towns before they emigrated to Canada and eventually moved to the United States in the 1800s. The late Daniel M. Rooney was the US ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 12, and his family members continue to be closely associated with the country.
“Growing up around my grandfather and father, one of the lessons they've always taught us is how much it means to our strong connection with Ireland and to our family,” the team He is the business development director for “This really makes our franchise dreams come true.”
The Steelers retain marketing rights in both Ireland and Northern Ireland as part of the league's global market programme. This allows teams to host events and sign commercial transactions at these locations.
The franchise has built support on the island through a partnership with the Gaelic Athletics Association. The organization manages and promotes Gaelic games, including Gaelic football and hurling. Also, given the historical significance of Ireland's independence, it has a great influence in Irish society.
As the international consumer market moves, Ireland will by far become the smallest NFL ever entered.
“We're very focused on growing the game of American football,” said Daniel Rooney. “We'll bring in the alumni, Steelers greats and current players before next year's game. It's certainly coming and we're excited.”
