NFL stages first regular-season game in Paris at Stade de France

The New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers will play an NFL regular-season game at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday at 14:30. It is the league’s first regular-season game held in Paris.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said being in Paris is a dream come true. He described the city as one of the major international markets where the league wants to be present as it pursues global ambitions.

“Being here in Paris is truly a dream come true.”

France has about 1.4 million regular NFL followers, mainly through social media, and is Europe’s third-largest NFL-consuming country. Goodell called the local fan base solid and growing, saying he wants that growth to accelerate.

The project had been in preparation for several years but was delayed first by the Covid-19 pandemic and then by the 2024 Olympic Games. The Stade de France concession, transferred to GL Events last year, helped speed things up.

The stadium is expected to be full. Child tickets cost between 55.80 and 119.32 euros, while adult tickets range from 91.22 to 425.75 euros.

France 2 will broadcast the game live, with L’Équipe showing it later the same evening. beIN Sports, the league’s historical pay broadcaster since 2012, will also carry the event, along with Twitch.

NFL regular-season games have been played regularly in London for nearly twenty years. More recently, the league has also staged games in Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Dublin and Madrid.