NFL bosses sent officials to Dublin this summer with a view to hosting games in the Irish capital.
League executives performed checks on the city’s two major stadiums with the Pittsburgh Steelers lined up to play there.
5
5
The Steelers separately had senior management staff in Dublin this month when the city hosted college football’s opening game.
Pittsburgh was awarded marketing rights in Ireland under the NFL’s global markets program earlier this year.
They had a presence on the ground when Georgia Tech took on Florida State at the Aviva Stadium last weekend.
Dublin has two major stadiums and has hosted season-opening college football showdowns for three straight years.
The Aviva Stadium is home to Irish rugby and holds around 50,000 spectators.
Croke Park, meanwhile, can seat more than 80,000 fans and is the home of Ireland’s Gaelic sports.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II has already publicly declared that the team wants to play a game in the nation.
His family has a long history and connection with Ireland, dating back to when they emigrated in the 1800s.
Most read in American Football
Ireland’s minister of state, Thomas Byrne, told select US reporters last week that he wants to stage more major sporting events.
“We’ve only ever had one game, which was a pre-season game 26 years ago when the Steelers played at Croke Park,” Byrne said.
“We’d love to see that happen again and we’re always open to discussion on hosting major events – Ireland is a great place to host.
“In college we’ve hosted a number of games very successfully and are very proud of it.
“We hope to host quite a few more. If we do the NFL, I would be very, very pleased.”
The NFL is playing four games in Europe this season, with three of those being played in London.
The New York Jets will face the Minnesota Vikings on October 6, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Chicago Bears on October 13.
NFL international games in 2024
Fri 6 Sept – Green Bay Packers vs Philadelphia Eagles (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Sun 6 Oct – New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings (London, England)
Sun 13 Oct – Jacksonville Jaguars vs Chicago Bears (London, England)
Sun 20 Oct – New England Patriots vs Jacksonville Jaguars (London, England)
Sun 10 Nov – New York Giants vs Carolina Panthers (Munich, Germany)
Those games are at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, built in 2019 with NFL-sized locker rooms and a synthetic field under the soccer pitch.
Wembley Stadium will host the Jacksonville Jaguars against the New England Patriots on October 20.
NFL is also returning to Germany for the third straight year on November 10.
The Carolina Panthers will take on the New York Giants at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Next year, the league will host its first-ever game in Spain at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.
The league wants to play even more games overseas to expand the sport globally.
This year, we will also see the first ever game in Brazil, when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Green Bay Packers on September 6.
NFL has also hosted games in Mexico City in recent years and will likely return in future.
The Estadio Azteca is renovating ahead of hosting the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
5
5
