2025-08-31 09:35:54
The NFL insists that the “excitement is off the charts” for the sport’s first regular-season game in Ireland.
The Minnesota Vikings will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Dublin’s Croke Park on September 28 and NFL chiefs can’t wait to take American football into another new territory.
NFL executive vice-president Peter O’Reilly said: “We are very excited. I’ve been on a number of Dublin calls this week, and certainly the countdown is on.
“As you know well, the excitement and demand around the game is really off the charts, and I know our teams, the Steelers and the Vikings and all of us, can’t wait to get on the ground there. There is such pride around the game.”
O’Reilly explained that he is determined to allow everybody in Dublin to access the event in some form – even if they haven’t been able to get tickets to the game at the 82,300-capacity venue.
He said: “We are focused on really delivering this year at a high level for the Irish fans and for the fans from around the world who converge on Dublin those days, in terms of the game day at Croke Park, but also making sure of the experience that whole week, and for those who may not be able to attend the game, to feel connected to it as well.
“We will be looking at all the pieces of it and evaluating as we go – and frankly, as you know, we have really high expectations for what this can be in terms of an incredible experience for our fans, our teams, and our partners there.”
The Dublin game will be one of seven matches in the upcoming season to be staged outside of the US and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claimed last year that the Super Bowl could be played abroad in the future.
He told a fan forum in London: “We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city – that was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises.
“But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”
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