Like Of The Irish: NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers Follow The Rainbow To Dublin In 2025
Friday, February 7, 2025 at 03:30PM By Barry Janoff
February 7, 2025: U2, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Taylor Swift have played there, as have The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beyoncé and the Spice Girls.
Rejoining that group: the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers, which will play a game in Dublin’s iconic Croke Park during the 2025 season.
The NFL today unveiled plans for its first regular season game in Dublin as it “continues to expand its global footprint and take the game to new audiences around the world.”
The Steelers will play as the designated team in 82,000-capacity Croke Park — the largest sporting arena in Ireland and headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Assn. — to be staged in partnership with the Government of Ireland and Dublin City Council.
“We are delighted to officially bring a regular season NFL game to Ireland as part of our 2025 International Games slate,” Peter O'Reilly, NFL evp-international, league events and club business, said via the league.
“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.”
Steelers’ president Art Rooney II and his family have a history 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.
As part of the league’s Global Markets Program, the Steelers are able to activate in Ireland. The program grants NFL clubs access to international markets for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization activation.
The New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars also have rights to activate in Ireland under the Global Markets Program.
The Steelers are also one of only two NFL teams to have played a game in Ireland to date, a pre-season match-up in 1997 against the Chicago Bears in Croke Park as part of the American Bowl series.
“We are very excited to be the designated team in the first regular season game to be played in Ireland this upcoming season,” Rooney II said via the Steelers.
“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.”
The Steelers already have an Ireland Game Collection for sale, including T-shirts, hats, hoodies, accessories and the Terrible Towel.
The league has launched a Web site, with full details, including opposition, date and kickoff time to be shared when the 2025 NFL schedule is revealed this spring.
This is the sixth International Series game to be unveiled for the 2025 season, joining a London game in Wembley Stadium with the Jacksonville Jaguars; two London games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the Jets and Cleveland Browns, respectively; the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin and the Miami Dolphins in Madrid.
The league this week also unveiled plans to send the Los Angeles Rams to Australia in 2026.
Croke Park — which opened in 1884 and underwent in 2004 what at the time was a renovation valued at more than $330 million — has hosted numerous iconic sporting moments. The GAA hosts the Gaelic football and hurling All-Ireland finals every year. In 2003 it was the venue for the Special Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
In 1996 it hosted a college football game between Notre Dame and Navy.
“This is a major vote of confidence in Ireland’s ability to host world class events and in Dublin’s reputation as one of the most welcoming cities in the world,” Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, said via the organization.
“Hosting a regular season NFL game in 2025 will have huge benefits for Irish tourism, the wider economy and our sports ecosystem.
“It will also build upon the deep cultural, family and economic ties between Ireland and the United States. I look forward to welcoming thousands of American football fans from the U.S., Europe and further afield to our shores for this historic game.”
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