Tag: NFL International Game

49ers won’t get chance at NFL history with game in Ireland

No Ireland game for the 49ers.

The NFL will expand its international footprint during the 2025 season by playing its first ever regular-season game in Ireland.

While there are opportunities for the San Francisco 49ers to play overseas next season, they won’t be one of the teams participating in the league’s first jaunt to Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been designated as the home team for that contest.

Thanks to their last-place finish in the NFC West, the 49ers don’t face the Steelers next season. Instead they’ll visit the Cleveland Browns – the last place finisher in the AFC North.

That Cleveland game doe have the potential to take place overseas, it would just happen in London where the 49ers last played against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012.

While getting to be part of NFL history by playing in a country’s debut game would be cool, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers would surely be okay with staying stateside for the entire season. The logistics and travel schedule that come with an international game are tough, and the last thing the 49ers need as they try and get back to Super Bowl form is the atypical travel and schedule that come with playing across the Atlantic.

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Steelers President Art Rooney II ‘optimistic’ about team playing in Ireland for 2025 season

Steelers President Art Rooney II remains optimistic about a 2025 international game in Ireland.

Fans of the Steel City may be struggling to find anything to be excited about after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season ended in a disappointing five-game losing streak, but 2025 may have a surprise in store—the long-awaited second international game for the Black and Gold.

The Pittsburgh Steelers arguably boast the largest international fanbase in the NFL. From the Steelers-themed KFC in Mexico to insider Gerry Dulac reporting that the team was informed to prepare for a game in Ireland, it seemed only a matter of time before the Black and Gold faithful outside the United States were given a chance to support their team in person.

Regarding speculation about the rumored 2025 Ireland game, Steelers President Art Rooney II had this to say:

“I think we’re still optimistic that it’s going to happen. We’re hopefully going to have an announcement soon, but it’s not official until it’s official. We just have to wait until all those pieces fall in place.”

Will the Pittsburgh Steelers be the first NFL team to host a regular-season game in Ireland? Only time will tell, but if rumors are to be believed, an announcement could come sooner rather than later.

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