Government officials say funding wasn’t a factor in the NFL’s decision not to play a game at Croke Park in 2026, with the Department of Sport having expressed an interest in Ireland hosting another fixture this year.
It has been confirmed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that the league will not be scheduling an international game for Dublin in 2026, though he did leave the door open for a return in the future.
The Pittsburgh Steelers played the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park last September in what was the inaugural regular season NFL game to be played in Dublin.
Croke Park stadium and commercial director, Peter McKenna, is confident the venue will host another NFL game in the near future.
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“We’re disappointed but not crestfallen,” said McKenna. “The NFL kept in touch with us and the Irish Government on where the decision was likely to land.
“Overall, their experience of playing in Ireland was really positive. We are happy that we will be firmly on their calendar for future events. They had a great time here and I think the message from the commissioner [on returning] was very positive.”
The Irish Government invested approximately €10 million to attract last September’s fixture and while the issue of finance had not been broached in relation to a potential 2026 fixture, the department was keen for the NFL to return to these shores.
“Following on from the success of the 28 September 2025 game in Croke Park, the department submitted an expression of interest to host a 2026 game,” said a department spokesperson.
“As with any major event, Government approval would have been required before any financial commitment could be made.
“However, that point was not reached as the NFL opted to prioritise expansion into new markets such as Melbourne and Paris for 2026.
“Funding was not a factor in the NFL decision and it has been clear that it intends to return to Ireland in the future, including as recently as yesterday when the commissioner, Roger Goodell, reiterated this position.
“The department intends to publish later this month an overview of the key outcomes from the economic impact assessment done on the 2025 Dublin NFL game.”
Croke Park had hoped to be included among the overseas stadiums in 2026 as well but the NFL have instead announced a nine-game series of international games to include maiden fixtures for Paris and Melbourne, while previous hosts London (three games), Munich, Madrid, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro are also on the schedule.
Speaking in California in the build-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in Santa Clara, Goodell said that while the NFL intends to return to Dublin in the future, there would be no game in Ireland in 2026.
“We did have a wonderful time and I think both clubs had a great time and our fans had a spectacular time,” said Goodell.
“One of the things about that game that stands out to me is that it felt like the entire island was in support of this.
“That game had more people come from the [United] States for an international game than any game in our history of the international series, and I think that’s a tribute to Ireland.
“The absolute answer is we will be back, I would guess that will we be back in a few years. We’ve got to work with the officials on that and when that happens but I would expect that to happen and that’s our intention.”
Goodell has said his ideal would be eventually to see 16 overseas games per season.
“The NFL are looking to expand the number of international games they will have and they want to have a number of different options,” added McKenna.
“They are well established in London and fairly established in Germany so now they are looking at the potential of other markets, including the likes of Spain, Paris, Ireland. They are going to Australia for the first time too, so they want to establish different options.
“When you think of the competition, you have so many places vying to get one of these games. It was a massive spectacle in Dublin last September, and our whole team learned a huge amount in terms of how the NFL do events.
“There was a brilliant collective effort here around the game, Dublin City Council did a great job and it was a seamless experience. All the feedback we got from the NFL was very positive.”
And the investment to host an NFL fixture has had longer-term benefits for the stadium too, including upgraded fiber cabling for improved connectivity.
But the most striking legacy from last September’s NFL game are the LED advertising panels, or ribbon boards, installed along the middle tiers of the stands.
There have been digital boards positioned around the pitch perimeter for a couple of seasons, but last September was the first time Croke Park had mid-level LED advertising strips.
Indeed, the ribbon boards were operational for recent games at Croke Park, including Dublin’s league opener against Donegal.
