Packer Central

Packers Could Face Steelers in Ireland in 2025

After being a part of the NFL’s first game in Brazil, the Green Bay Packers could be part of the NFL’s debut game in Ireland.

Bill Huber

Croke Park in Dublin will host an NFL game in 2025.
Croke Park in Dublin will host an NFL game in 2025. / Photo courtesy of Croke Park
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2024, the Green Bay Packers played in the first NFL game in Brazil.

In 2025, could the Packers be part of the first NFL game in Ireland?

It’s possible. On Friday, the NFL announced it will play its first regular-season game in Dublin. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the designated home team and the Packers are scheduled to play “at” Pittsburgh in 2025.

According to ESPN Milwaukee’s Ben Brust, the Packers will indeed be the Steelers’ opponent, though that won’t become official until the NFL unveils the full schedule. Last year, the schedule was revealed on May 16.

The Steelers would be the home team, the Packers’ Irish-born punter, Daniel Whelan, would feel right at home.

The Packers are 0-2 in their international games but haven’t won in Pittsburgh in 55 years.

The game will be played at Croke Park, which is the largest sporting venue in the country and one of the largest in Europe.

You think Lambeau Ffield is a historic venue? Croke Park opened in 1884, though it has been expanded and renovated over the years. It seats 82,300.

The Steelers were the natural choice to host the game.

As noted by the NFL, “Steelers president Art Rooney II and his family have a rich history and deep connection with the Island of Ireland, having family from Newry, County Down. The late Dan M. Rooney, Art Rooney’s father, served as U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012 and was a co-founder of the Ireland Funds charity.”

The Steelers played the Bears at Croke Park during the 1997 preseason.

“We are very excited to be the designated team in the first regular season game to be played in Ireland this upcoming season,” Rooney said. “The opportunity for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in Ireland is truly special, not only because of the Rooney family history there, but also to play in front of the growing number of Steelers fans in Ireland. We are thrilled to be part of this historic event to represent Pittsburgh in a game that brings the NFL to the great sports fans in Ireland.”

The Steelers finished 10-7 in 2024 but fell short of the playoffs.

Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was first-team All-Pro, outside linebacker T.J. Watt was second-team All-Pro and quarterback Russell Wilson joined them as three of the team’s six Pro Bowlers.

Quarterbacks Wilson and Justin Fields along with running back Najee Harris, receiver Mike Williams and left tackle Dan Moore are set to be unrestricted free agents.

Green Bay leads the all-time series 20-17. The Packers have lost six consecutive games at Pittsburgh – their last win was in 1970 – so they might welcome the trip to Dublin, even though the Packers lost to the Giants in England in 2022 and the Eagles in Brazil in 2024. Their quarterbacks were injured toward the end of both games.

Mike Tomlin became Pittsburgh’s coach in 2007. He has never had a losing season, though the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016.

In 1996, Croke Park hosted a Notre Dame-Navy football game. Dublin has been home to college football games each of the last three years but at Aviva Stadium.

“We are delighted to officially bring a regular season NFL game to Ireland as part of our 2025 International Games slate,” said Peter O'Reilly, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of International, League Events and Club Business.

“Both the NFL and the Steelers franchise have deep roots and history in Ireland, and we’re looking forward to making our regular-season debut in Dublin, bringing our game to a large and passionate Irish fan base and underlining the NFL’s commitment to global growth.”

Earlier this week, the NFL announced it would play a game in Australia in 2026.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.