The NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell says there is a huge amount of excitement following confirmation yesterday that Croke Park will host its first NFL regular season game this autumn.

The game will see the Pittsburgh Steelers as the designated home team at GAA headquarters, with their opponents set to be confirmed at a later date.

The Steelers are owned by the Rooney family which has roots to county Down, with former owner Dan Rooney, who passed away in 2017, having served as US Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 and 2012.

American football college games have been held at the Aviva Stadium in recent years, but this occasion is set to mark the first NFL game ever to be played in Ireland.

"We're really excited. It's a great market for us," Goodell is quoted saying by BBC Sport NI.

"Obviously there's a great connection in the United States with Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a specific connection also through their (Rooney) family."

Goodell added that the NFL gets "a tremendous amount of media coverage (in Ireland), but we spend a lot of time on a year-round basis promoting the game and getting kids playing, whether it's flag football or tackle football.

"All of that is part of our efforts to make our game more popular there and this game is sort of the spark and gives that a greater interest.”

The news was confirmed ahead of Super Bowl LIX this Sunday which sees the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Ceasars Superdome in New Orleans (kick-off 11.30pm Irish time).  

Headed to the Emerald Isle in '25 ☘️@AerLingus | #NFLDublinGame pic.twitter.com/rzGkJJkVTg

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 7, 2025

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