The NFL confirmed the long-awaited news today that a 2025 regular season will be coming to Croke Park in Dublin.
A regular season game in Dublin has been teased for several years now, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirming late last year that momentum was gathering behind bringing the league to Croke Park.
As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the game, expected to take place between September and November next year. Their opponents will be confirmed later in 2025, and will be chosen from the Steelers' roster of home games for the upcoming season.
Reports suggest that the game could see the Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers in September.
Packers involvement would present the tantalising possibility of Irish representation on the field in Croke Park, with Wicklow's Dan Whelan on the books as Green Bay's punter.
The NFL's Peter O'Reilly and Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers addressed the world's media on Friday, calling in from New Orleans, the venue of this weekend's Super Bowl.
O'Reilly said that the focus was on 2025 for now but that the Steelers and other franchises would no doubt be interested in further games in Ireland in future.
All parties expressed gratitude for the support of Croke Park, the GAA, the Irish Government, and Dublin City Council in making this fixture possible.
Alongside venues in the UK, Spain, Germany, Mexico, and Australia, Dublin will finally join the roster of international venues for the National Football League next season.
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NFL confirm 2025 regular season game in Croke Park
25 May 2023; Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart who played in 1997, alongside Kerry All-Ireland winner and Steelers fan Paudie Clifford. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
2025 will mark the maiden regular season NFL game in Croke Park, 28 years on from the stadium hosting a pre-season game. The Steelers were also involved in that 1997 game, taking on the Chicago Bears at GAA HQ.
The Steelers established an overseas programme in Ireland in 2023 as part of their Global Markets Programme. Present at the launch event was Kordell Stewart, who played quarter-back in that 1997 game, as well as Kerry hero Paudie Clifford - a massive Steelers fan.
Then-GAA president Larry McCarthy said to Stewart at the time:
I don't know how many touchdowns you threw the last time you were here, but let's hope your successor's going to be back here throwing a couple of touchdowns in the next couple of years.
The NFL International Series was established in 2007 with the establishment of an annual regular season game in London's Wembley Stadium. The league has continued to expand overseas since, with Mexico added to the roster in 2016 and several other countries following suit.
Croke Park will not be the only first-time overseas NFL venue in 2025. Spain will host a game for the first time, hosted by the Miami Dolphins at Real Madrid's revamped Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The league will also make its maiden voyage to Australia in 2026, with the enormous Melbourne Cricket Ground playing host to the Los Angeles Rams.
Germany will host a game for the fourth season running, with Indianapolis hosting the first ever match at Berlin's Olympiastadion.
As per tradition, three games will be held in London, with the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting a game at Wembley and two games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosted by the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets.
It's a landmark day for Irish sport, and American football fans on this shore can look forward to the inaugural regular season NFL game in Croke Park this winter.
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