NEW ORLEANS — The NFL is expected to announce Friday morning a 2025 game in Dublin, Ireland, a long-expected move that is sure to cause a lot fewer waves than the league’s time-zone-hopping deal to play games in Australia starting in 2026.
The Steelers are likely to be the home team, given their ties to the Emerald Isle. The late owner of the team, Dan Rooney, served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.
The NFL will likely play seven international games in 2025: one in Ireland, one in Brazil (that is still being worked on), one in Spain, one in Germany, and three in England. The league eyed an eighth in Mexico, but Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is under renovation to meet standards for the 2026 World Cup.
The NFL Players Association greeted the NFL’s Australian development with consternation. While Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s EVP of international and league events, said the union had been consulted, the association expressed concern over what such a long trip would do to player health and safety. Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and 19 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
Ireland poses fewer concerns, as there is a five-hour time difference with the East Coast. But NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell on Wednesday questioned the NFL’s international gambit and whether the league was truly prioritizing players’ well-being. He also said the union would need to sign off on more than 10 international games. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has targeted ultimately playing 16 games a season outside the U.S.
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