New Country Emerges as Possible Global Destination for NFL's International Series

The league's global push could soon involve a new nation.
Aviva Stadium in Dublin during Notre Dame's game against Navy in 2023.
Aviva Stadium in Dublin during Notre Dame's game against Navy in 2023. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

As part of its sustained global push this decade, the NFL could soon add a new destination for overseas regular-season games.

Dublin is considering an attempt to host an NFL game, Irish minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport, and media, Catherine Martin, told reporters Thursday.

“I would say it’s under active consideration,” Martin said via Ian Curran of The Irish Times. “I think we’ve seen the absolute benefit in real terms of the college football, so you can imagine what (an NFL game) would do."

Ireland would presumably stage the game at Aviva Stadium, home of its national rugby union and soccer teams, or Croke Park, the traditional home of Gaelic games.

The country has hosted college football on and off for decades as part of efforts to bolster tourism and connect with the Irish diaspora in the United States.

This would mark the NFL's first foray into the country. Over the past two years, the league has granted the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers marketing rights in Ireland. There have been 11 Irish-born NFL players, most (though not all) of whom played in the league's early days.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .