Could an announcement for the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in Ireland be coming soon? The speculation has been rampant in the last year. There’s the ancestral connection between the Steelers and the Emerald Isle. And insider Gerry Dulac reported in late December that the Steelers are expecting to play in Ireland in 2025.
Per the Irish Examiner, the new Irish government confirmed that they are talking with the NFL about playing a game in Dublin. And an announcement could come very soon. John Fogarty wrote for the Irish Examiner that the game “could be officially announced before the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Things had slowed down on the Ireland front recently. The Irish government went through some changes, so the new government had to get organized. That included the Department of Arts, Culture, Communications, Media And Sport.
“It required the green light from the new government,” Fogarty wrote for the Irish Examiner on Thursday. “And on Thursday, the department confirmed: ‘The Government is actively engaging at present with the NFL regarding the possibility of hosting an NFL game in Dublin. It is hoped to bring a recommendation to government as soon as possible.'”
The formation of the new Irish government slowed the process down a bit, obviously. But the process took a big step forward in the last week with two major appointments: Patrick O’Donovan as the minister in charge of the department, and Charlie McConalogue as the Minister of State “with responsibility for sport” on Wednesday. That allowed the Irish government to have the pieces in place to continue pushing forward with the NFL.
As for who the Steelers would play in that game, Adam Schefter said he heard it could be the Green Bay Packers. Fogarty acknowledged those reports as well.
But I would not expect the stands to be a sea of green despite it being in Ireland. The Steelers have been active with events in Ireland recently. And the Rooney family came from Ireland. So, I would expect the Steelers to have a true home game. Even if Croke Park is almost 3,500 miles away from Acrisure Stadium.
