The Minnesota Vikings will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park later this year in the first regular season NFL game to be staged in Ireland.
The Steelers had previously been announced as the designated home team for the fixture, which will be played on Sunday, September 28th (kick-off 2.30pm), with the Vikings confirmed as their opponents in a press conference in Dublin Castle on Tuesday.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Ireland this September for the first-ever NFL Dublin game at Croke Park,” said Henry Hodgson, general manager of NFL UK & Ireland. “Alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers, we can’t wait to bring world-class football to Dublin and make history together with passionate NFL fans in Ireland and those visiting from across the globe.”
“Playing in Ireland’s first ever NFL game is an opportunity to introduce new fans to the Minnesota Vikings and help the league continue to make the game of football more accessible globally,” said Vikings owner Mark Wilf.
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“To do so against a storied franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers adds a unique challenge that makes this even more special. We are honoured to be selected for this historic game and will be anxious to see what promises to be an electric game-day environment in Croke Park.”
Seven fixtures in the upcoming season will be played outside the US, with Sao Paulo, London, Berlin and Madrid also hosting games. Three of the fixtures will be played in London – two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 5th and 12th before a third at Wembley Stadium on October 19th.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said his side are “very much looking forward” to playing in Ireland, before they ship off to London to face the Cleveland Browns.
“When you think about opportunities to play in unique atmospheres and environments, that are experiences for your players, what better way to do that than to play in Dublin for the first time in the regular season, which is a big deal to us.”
O’Connell added the two-game trip “gives us an unbelievable opportunity to take our team on the road”.
“It feels almost like a training camp ... a trip to allow us to come together closer than ever, build our team comraderie and culture even stronger.”
O’Connell said the Vikings versus the Steelers will be “a heck of a matchup”, adding: “They’re always going to be physical, it’s always going to be four quarters of an absolute battle for really every inch of that football field.”
Croke Park’s capacity will be reduced to around 76,000 for the game, with Hill 16 to be fitted with temporary seating, while other areas of the stadium will be altered to accommodate more corporate and media boxes.
Organisers confirmed tickets will go on sale during the summer, with no specific date given as of yet. Tickets will follow the same pricing structure as the London games for which prices started at £50 (€60) in previous seasons.
“We’re seeing a huge demand for this game in terms of tickets,” Hodgson said. “The registry of interest that we launched back in February is considerably higher than the other countries that we launched them in.
“What’s unique is the make-up of that registry of interest is about a third from the US, a third from Ireland, and a third from UK and Europe.
“Typically you would see a much larger proportion from the home country, and I think that speaks to the Steelers being a fantastic travelling fan base, but I think it’s [also] the desire people have from around the world to come to Dublin to experience a sports event here.”
Following the announcement back in February that the game would be held at Croke Park, Minister of State for Sport Patrick O’Donovan defended a €10 million contribution from the Government towards hosting the game at Croke Park.
Asked why the Government’s contribution was necessary to bring the game to Dublin, Hodgson said: “It is the process we use in all the cities we go to around the world.”
Government officials previously stated the economic benefit of hosting the game is forecast to be in the region of €65 million, while Minister for Sport Charlie McConalogue estimated approximately 30,000 visitors from overseas are expected to travel to Dublin for the game.
Full list of NFL international fixtures for 2025 season
September 5th: LA Chargers v TBC, Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo
September 28th: Pittsburgh Steelers v Minnesota Vikings, Croke Park, Dublin
October 5th: Cleveland Browns v Minnesota Vikings, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
October 12th: New York Jets v Denver Broncos, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
October 19th: Jacksonville Jaguars v LA Rams, Wembley Stadium, London
November 9th: Indianapolis Colts v Atlanta Falcons, Olympic Stadium, Berlin
November 16th: Miami Dolphins v Washington Commanders, Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid
