- NFL announce first ever regular season game to be played in Ireland
- Announcement is latest in International Series expansion
- Games in London, Spain and Germany will also take place in the 2025 season
The NFL International Series continued its expansion, with the announcement coming last week that a regular season game – the NFL Dublin Game – will be played in Ireland for the first time, in the 2025 campaign.
The Dublin Game announcement comes only days after the league revealed a multiyear partnership with the Victorian State Government to host The Melbourne Game at the MCG from 2026.
In 1997, a friendly game was hosted in Ireland as part of the preseason American Bowl series, with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Chicago Bears at Croke Park.
“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 of 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.”
Next season’s International Series will already see games taking place in London, Madrid and Berlin, with Munich, Frankfurt, Mexico City, Toronto and São Paulo having hosted games previously as part of the NFL’s global expansion.
Beginning in 2025, the NFL can host up to eight league-operated regular season games internationally, which means we could yet see further announcements about overseas games for 2025 ahead of next season.
As for the Dublin Game, here’s everything you need to know.
Where is the NFL Dublin Game Being Played?
Croke Park will serve as the host stadium for the Dublin Game. The stadium is the largest sporting arena in Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The deal to play an NFL game at Croke has been done in partnership with the Government of Ireland and Dublin City Council (Dublin City).
Who is the Designated Team?
The Pittsburgh Steelers will serve as the designated team for the NFL Dublin Game. Steelers president Art Rooney II and his family have a rich history and deep connection with the Island of Ireland, having family from Newry, County Down. The late Dan M. Rooney, Art Rooney’s father, served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012 and was a co-founder of the Ireland Funds charity.
Seo linn, go mBaile Átha Cliath!☘️
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 7, 2025
We will be playing in the @NFL's first-ever regular season game in Dublin, Ireland in 2025. @AerLingus #NFLDublinGame | 📝: https://t.co/wGmzwlCQdy pic.twitter.com/mGYu1sf0mO
“We are very excited to be the designated team in the first regular-season game to be played in Ireland this upcoming season,” said Steelers president Art Rooney II in a statement after the announcement of the gamer was made. “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.”
When is the NFL Dublin Game Being Played?
At the time of writing, no set date has been set for the game. Nor is there a kick off time. However, with Dublin being in the same time zone as London, expect kick off to be the same as when the London Games are customarily played, meaning it will be five hours ahead of the East Coast, six ahead of Central and eight ahead of Pacific.
What Channel Will the NFL Dublin Game be on?
The NFL is broadcast on NBC, Fox, ESPN and CBS as well as the NFL Network and Prime Video in the United States. Netflix also picked up the Christmas Day games, complete with the Beyonce Bowl, this season. A broadcaster for the Dublin Game in the US is yet to be announced but in the UK, unless anything unforseen occurs, Sky Sports will be airing the game.
