Dublin has drawn thousands of American tourists this weekend as Croke Park hosts its first-ever official NFL (National Football League) regular season game, with the Pittsburgh Steelers taking on the Minnesota Vikings.
The fixture marks a milestone for Ireland, which has staged several US college football matches since 2012 but never before a professional league encounter. Crucially, the result of this game will count towards the path to next year’s Super Bowl.
To secure the event, the Irish Government approved up to €9.95 million in funding, with €4.2 million going directly to the NFL as a licence fee and the remainder allocated to infrastructure and operational support. Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan defended the decision, calling it a “massive opportunity” to showcase Ireland on a global stage. “The range of global viewership this will bring to Dublin and Ireland is like nothing we have seen before,” he said.
Ireland is now only the fifth country outside the United States to host an NFL regular season game, joining the UK, Germany, Mexico and Brazil. Around 30,000 international visitors are expected, with television audiences projected at 20 million. The Government estimates the economic boost at €64 million, while the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation described the investment as money well spent.
“Croke Park is going to be full, the vast majority will be international visitors spending on hotels, pubs and attractions,” said Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, the Confederation’s chief executive. “Millions of US viewers will also see Ireland showcased as a destination.”
Not everyone agrees. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy called the subsidy “utterly crazy,” arguing that the NFL, the world’s richest sports league, could easily afford to fund the match itself. Critics also point to the contrast with domestic sport, which received just under €30 million in state core funding last year.
The NFL distributed $13.8 billion in revenue to its 32 teams in 2024. Between them, the Steelers and Vikings generated over $1.2 billion last season. “One of the controversial aspects of the NFL is that the owners are very good at getting others to pay their bills, and that has happened here,” said sports analyst Paul Cunningham.
Yet demand for the Dublin game has been overwhelming, with more than 600,000 people applying for tickets, most priced at €295 – three times the cost of an All-Ireland final seat.
For the Steelers, the event also has sentimental value. The franchise was founded by Art Rooney, a Newry native, and remains owned by the Rooney family, which has kept close ties with Ireland. The team last played in Dublin in 1997 in a pre-season match.
This weekend’s clash, however, represents something far greater: a sign of the NFL’s growing international reach and Ireland’s ambition to position itself at the centre of major global sporting events.
