The NFL has announced it is heading to Ireland for a first ever regular-season game in the European country next season.
After previously staging pre-season fixtures there, the league will now play a historic first competitive game in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, in the 2025 campaign.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be the designated home team when that fixture takes place at Croke Park, the largest sporting arena in the country.
Steelers president Art Rooney II and his family have a rich history with Ireland as Dan M. Rooney, Art’s father, served as its US ambassador from 2009-12.
He was also a co-founder of the Ireland Funds charity, while the Rooney family have relatives from Newry in Northern Ireland.
Pittsburgh is also one of only two NFL teams to have played a preseason game in Ireland, coming against the Chicago Bears in 1997 as part of the American Bowl series.
The NFL will host a first regular-season game in Ireland at Dublin’s Croke Park next year
‘We are delighted to officially bring a regular season NFL game to Ireland as part of our 2025 International Games slate,’ said Executive Vice President International, League Events and Club Business at the NFL Peter O’Reilly.
‘Both the NFL and the Steelers franchise have deep roots and history in Ireland, and we’re looking forward to making our regular-season debut in Dublin, bringing our game to a large and passionate Irish fan base and underlining the NFL’s commitment to global growth.’
Rooney also said: ‘We are very excited to be the designated team in the first regular season game to be played in Ireland this upcoming season. The opportunity for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in Ireland is truly special, not only because of the Rooney family history there, but also to play in front of the growing number of Steelers fans in Ireland.
‘We are thrilled to be part of this historic event to represent Pittsburgh in a game that brings the NFL to the great sports fans in Ireland.’
The NFL’s International Series has previously included regular-season games in England, Mexico and Germany, while Brazil hosted its first fixture at the start of the 2024 campaign.
The league has also recently announced plans to head to Madrid, Spain in 2025 and Melbourne, Australia in 2026.
While the country has never had a regular-season NFL fixture, 10 college football games have previously taken place in Ireland, mostly involving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Avia Stadium in Dublin.
Ireland’s first college football game was held in November of 1988, when Boston College defeated Army, 38-24 at Lansdowne Road, a rugby stadium in Dublin.
The full details for the NFL Dublin game will be announced when the 2025 schedule is revealed this spring.
