For the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in Ireland, the NFL has to first approve a game there. That seems inevitable, making the Steelers the most logical team to be part of the league’s first-ever regular season game in Dublin. Per the Irish Examiner’s John Fogarty, the odds of a game being hosted there are better than ever and essentially just needs final approval from the Irish government.
As reported by the Irish Examiner last month, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be one of the competing teams in GAA HQ pending a final decision by the new Irish government.
Outlining the benefits of hosting such an event at Croke Park, a position document has been prepared by the NFL, GAA, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for the new government to sign off on.
Well-placed sources are encouraged that what they believe will be the biggest sports event ever to happen in Ireland is within reach despite formal government negotiations only beginning on Tuesday.
GAA stands for the Gaelic Athletic Association with headquarters in Croke Park, the stadium where any game in Dublin would be held.
The Steelers have made no secret about their desire to play there. The Irish-Rooneys have publicly and privately advocated for it while hosting other events in the meantime, like an offseason kicking competition in Dublin. Former Steelers kicker and punter Shaun Suisham and Jordan Berry attended the event and one participant, Mark Jackson, impressed enough to earn an invite to the Steelers’ rookie minicamp. He did not sign with the team.
Daniel Martin Rooney, viewed as eventual successor to team president Art Rooney II, has spent plenty of time expanding the Steelers’ international visibility with their sights set on playing a game in Ireland.
“It’s been a goal from the start, being able to pursue an opportunity to play a live game in front of the Irish fans,” Rooney told the BBC in June. “We are working with the NFL on that and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s coming.”
The NFL has continued to expand its global reach. The league will play its first-ever game in Berlin, Germany, in 2025 (and again in 2027 and 2029) after playing its first game in Brazil to in Week 1 of the 2024 season. The league is also considering a game in Australia while the 2025 international slate is expected to span the globe.
A game in Ireland isn’t confirmed but seems destined to happen. It won’t technically be the first NFL game there. In 1997, the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Chicago Bears in Croke Park during the preseason. Pittsburgh won 30-17.
The NFL will release its official 2025 schedule sometime during the spring, most likely in May. The Steelers’ last international game occurred in 2013, a London loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Given their global fan base and marketing appeal, it’s surprising it’s taken the league this long to have them play out of the country, though they likely would’ve played a game in Mexico City had it not been for stadium construction.
