In 1997, the Steelers played the Chicago Bears in a preseason game at Dublin's historic Croke Park, marking the first time the NFL had played a game on the island of Ireland.
In the 2025 season, the Steelers will take part in another historic first on the island. The NFL announced Friday the Steelers will take part in the league's first regular season game on Irish soil, as they'll be the host team at Croke Park, the largest stadium on the island and one of the five largest stadiums in Europe.
The Steelers were founded in 1933 by Arthur J. Rooney, the great-grandson of Irish immigrants from Newry, County Down, and have always treasured their Irish heritage. That has included former longtime team president Dan Rooney serving as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 through 2012 and his co-founding of the Ireland Funds charity.
"The Steelers are excited and honored to play in the NFL's first-ever regular season game in Ireland," said Daniel Rooney, Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy. "The Rooney family has deep ties to the island, having immigrated from there in the 1800s, eventually settling in Pittsburgh, where my great grandfather would go on to found our franchise in 1933. More recently, my late grandfather, Dan Rooney, proudly served as the U. S. Ambassador to Ireland and co-founded the Ireland Funds, a now-global institution that aims to help make the island a better place for all.
"He loved Ireland and was very passionate about the game and growing the game of American football there."
Hosting the first regular season game in Ireland will only help to strengthen those ties.
The Steelers were granted rights to the island of Ireland through the NFL's Global Market Program in 2023 and since then have hosted a number of events across the island, including watch parties involving former players and youth football camps with current and former players there.
Playing a regular season game at Croke Park will allow them to continue to build upon that. It will also be an opportunity for Steelers fans to explore Ireland.
"We have the same expectation that we have for all of our games, where black and gold shows up in a big way," Daniel Rooney said. "The Terrible Towels will certainly make the trip across the pond to Croke Park and really put Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation on display for all to see. We believe we have the best fanbase in football. And we cannot wait for them to experience this international game and in what we call our Motherland for the Rooneys."
The opponent and date for the game won't be determined until the league finalizes its schedule in May, but according to Peter O'Reilly, NFL Executive Vice President of Club Business and League Events, a number of teams have shown interest in being that partner.
"This is a big first in a market that a lot of people are excited about," O'Reilly said. "So I don't think there will be any shortage of interest in terms of being part of this game, but ultimately, the many permutations of the scheduling process is how that works out and will be worked out over the coming months."
Regardless of the opponent, the Steelers want to make it an event that will not only thrill their fans in Ireland, but across the world, as well.
The NFL, which has already announced international games in London, Berlin and Madrid for the 2025 season, is committed to expanding its global footprint and increasing interest in American football at all age levels.
The league launched an official youth flag football program, NFL Flag, in Ireland in 2024 in partnership with American Football Ireland. The league's first champion, Green Lanes School in Dublin, traveled to the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games in Orlando last week to represent Ireland in the International Championships.
"I think since the Steelers made that first move into Ireland as part of our Global Market Program, they've obviously been a very, very strong collaborator and partner for us," said Henry Hodgson, General Manager of NFL UK and Ireland. "They've helped us uncover some of the other people that were really engaged around this opportunity, whether it was our friends and colleagues at the Irish government, who've been instrumental in bringing this to life and making it happen, Dublin City Council, who've supported us and are going to be an incredible partner as we bring this to life during the week of the game, the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and other sporting bodies in Ireland who've also been supporters.
"The welcome that we've received across Ireland from everybody to help us bring this to life has been incredible. And I know that takes us to today, to this historic announcement, but will also carry us through to deliver a fantastic sporting experience and entertainment experience, a mini-Super Bowl, if you like, in Dublin."
Nothing would make the Rooney family more proud.
When he was Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney hosted a flag football game there as part of his Fourth of July celebration.
"This goes back to my grandfather's work throughout the course of his life in Ireland and the entire island, when he was the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, he made a point to visit all 32 counties," his grandson said. "There was a fun tradition when he was the ambassador, on the fourth of July, they would play a baseball game every fourth and he made sure to flip that into a flag football game, which I actually was able to play in. So, (this) definitely a long time coming.
"But the fact that the league has such a strong and impressive initiative around expanding the global footprint, Dublin was positioned perfectly as a city that can handle large-scale events, like a regular season NFL game. So hats off to the league for making this happen. And you know, the Rooney family and the Steelers are really excited with what's to come here."
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