NFL to expand international footprint over next 2 seasons

The NFL continues to expand its global footprint. 

For the first time ever, Dublin, Madrid and Berlin will host NFL regular-season games next season, the NFL announced Friday, just days before the Super Bowl.

The Los Angeles Rams will also host a game in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026, the first time an NFL game is played on that continent.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers will play at historic Croke Park in the Irish capital, with their opponent yet to be determined. 

“I think the emotion you hear from all of us is the excitement to bring a regular-season game to Ireland with the Steelers and how special that will be. And, yes, it ultimately comes back to the fans,” Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president for international events, said in a statement.

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“We see Irish fans travel to games in London or Germany or elsewhere, but this is a game on Irish soil, in Dublin, at Croke Park, and an opportunity to create an incredible atmosphere.”

The Steelers played the Chicago Bears in a 1997 preseason game at Croke Park, which has a capacity of more than 82,000.

The Indianapolis Colts will be the home team for a game at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, and the Miami Dolphins will be the home team in Madrid. 

The Dolphins are playing at Bernabéu, the home stadium of Spanish soccer club Real Madrid. 

The Rams will be the home team when they play in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026. They will play at Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue that holds about 100,000 spectators, as part of a multiyear deal to have games in Australia. 

“This is a big statement,” O’Reilly said. “Probably a few years ago, you may not have thought this was a reality. I’d say the commissioner, the 32 owners, there’s a commitment to become a true global sport property. That means expanding our footprint. That means going to different parts of the world and exposing more fans around the world, in this case fans in Australia and Melbourne, to our great sport.”

O’Reilly also said the game in Melbourne will likely be played in Week 1 to give teams as much time as possible to acclimate to the difference in time zones. 

The NFL could play up to eight games internationally in 2025. London is hosting three of them, with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns each being the home team for a game at Tottenham Hotspur stadium. 

The Jets are also going to be the home team for a game at Wembley Stadium. 

As international consumer markets go, Ireland would be by far the smallest that the NFL has entered so far.

The NFL is also considering having a team play back-to-back weeks in different European cities as it continues to try and expand the game globally.

The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

FOX’s Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Coverage can be streamed live on Tubi for the first time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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