Croke Park will host regular season NFL game later this year
Michael Bolton
The Pittsburgh Steelers will play a regular season NFL game at Croke Park later this year, it has been confirmed.
Peter O’Reilly, NFL Executive vice president, confirmed on Friday afternoon that Dublin will become the latest city to stage an international NFL game.
The Steelers played a pre-season game in 1997 against the Chicago Bears at Croke Park as part of the American Bowl series.
While Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium have hosted college American Football matches over the years, this will be the first regular season NFL fixture to take place in Ireland.
It has been speculated the Green Bay Packers are to be Pittsburgh’s opponents for the historic Croke Park match – though that was not confirmed in Friday’s announcement.
Speaking following the announcement, Mr O'Reilly said: "We are delighted to officially bring a regular season NFL game to Ireland as part of our 2025 International Games slate.
“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.”
The full matchup including opposition, date, and kickoff time will be announced when the 2025 NFL schedule is revealed this spring.
Beginning in 2025, the NFL can schedule up to eight league-operated regular season games internationally.
The NFL will play two regular season games in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — the only purpose-built NFL stadium outside of the U.S., featuring the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns as designated teams.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will also return to Wembley Stadium in London to operate a home game, their 14th in the city, as part of their multi-year commitment to playing a game in the U.K.
The league will also host one game in Berlin, Germany at the Olympic Stadium Berlin, with the Indianapolis Colts as the designated team, and one game in Madrid, Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to Real Madrid, featuring the Miami Dolphins.