The Pittsburgh Steelers have deep ties to the Republic of Ireland, where they inherited the Rooney family legacy. They’ve been patiently waiting for the NFL to expand to Ireland for one of its international games, and it looks like that might happen as soon as the 2025 season, according to Roger Goodell on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Kickoff.
It sounds like there will be eight international games, and here are the cities Goodell listed today:
“We will definitely go to Spain.” Goodell said. “We expect to return to Mexico City and Brazil. We will definitely be returning to the UK and are looking at the potential for another game in the UK region, Ireland. And we will definitely come back here to Germany. There are 8 in total. “This is exactly what we are aiming for.”
The NFL has discussed playing up to 16 international games each season, one per team. Global Market Program. The Steelers have marketing rights to Mexico, the island of Ireland, and are currently expanding into Germany.
Art Rooney II reportedly frequently harassed Goodell about playing for the Irish. The late Dan Rooney served as Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012. If the NFL makes it all clear about the Irish next year, I’m sure the Steelers will be in the first game. Mexico City is a strong possibility otherwise, and of course there are external opportunities for Germany as well. A game is being played in Munich today, and the NFL wants to expand to Berlin. Rooney said the Steelers will play in international competition in Mexico City or Ireland in 2025.
The Steelers have been stepping up their efforts in Ireland with a variety of fan events and kicking clinics to capitalize on the growing interest in punting and kicking in the UK.
