American football’s NFL has announced that its debut game in Dublin, Ireland, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, drew an average of 7.9 million US viewers to become the second most-watched international game on its NFL Network.
The NFL said the game’s audience peaked at nine million – on Sunday, September 28 – as the Vikings attempted to stage a late comeback, but came short of the record 9.6 million viewers that tuned into NFL Network to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins in Germany in 2023.
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The 7.9 million figure across television and digital platforms marks a 68% increase on the average audience secured across the five NFL international games in 2024, featuring London (three), Sao Paulo (Brazil), and Munich (Germany).
NFL International Series games typically notch fewer viewers than regular US-based games, as the European time zones mean the events take place in an undesirable morning slot for several key markets in the US.
This particular game, held in Dublin’s 82,300-capacity Croke Park, was the first regular-season NFL game to be played in Ireland after the Steelers secured marketing rights for the country through the NFL’s global markets program.
It is also the first of six international NFL games that will be played across Europe in 2025.
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By GlobalDataThe UK’s London is set to host three matches: Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns (October 5, Tottenham Stadium), Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets (October 12, Tottenham Stadium), and Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (October 19, Wembley Stadium).
Germany’s Berlin, meanwhile, will host its first NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons (November 9, Olympiastadion), while Spain’s Madrid will also debut as an NFL host by staging a match between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders (November 16, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu).
Before its European swing, the NFL returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a match between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers (September 5, Arena Corinthians).
The success of its international games will likely see the NFL stage more next year, having previously announced its aim of 16 matches per season.
A game in Australia featuring the LA Rams has already been announced by the league, but details of when the game will take place and which other team will play have not been released yet.
