The NFL will make history on Sunday, September 28, when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Dublin’s Croke Park — marking the league’s first-ever regular-season game in Ireland.
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The landmark fixture will make Dublin the fourth European city to host an NFL game, joining London, Munich, and Frankfurt. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, for one, is pumped to play in Dublin and get in touch with his Irish roots.
“Being a part of the first game in Ireland is pretty cool. I have Irish heritage, so I’m very excited to get out there. And as far as the travel goes, it is what it is.”
When asked what he’s most looking forward to, Rodgers didn’t hesitate: “Guinness. Guinness on tap is my favorite beer in the world, and I don’t really drink beer.” But Rodgers is not the only NFL quarterback with links to the Emerald Isle.
Though a California native with no immediate ties to Boston when he was drafted by the Patriots, it turns out Tom Brady’s family history runs deep in Ireland.
His great-great-grandfather, John Brady, fled Ireland in the mid-19th century and settled in Boston, where he worked as a laborer. John later married Bridget Bailey, herself a refugee of the Great Hunger, and together they started a family in South Boston. According to records, they had two children there, including Philip, Tom Brady’s great-grandfather.
The Boston Globe has previously reported on Brady’s maternal ancestors coming from Ireland, but amateur genealogist Jim McNiff uncovered fresh evidence tying Brady’s paternal side to Boston’s Irish immigrant community.
Brady has spoken often about how proud he is of that connection:
“I’m an Irish boy at heart. My family is originally from Cavan. I’d say I’m 50% Irish, but trending — the more visits I take here, the more Irish I get. I was here 22 years ago on a father-son golf trip. My parents were here two years ago, my sisters came, even my niece for a goodwill softball game. It rained the entire time, so I’m happy to bring good weather from America this time — and I’ll bring more of that next time.”
This landmark fixture will make Dublin the fourth European city to host an NFL game, joining London, Munich, and Frankfurt. Croke Park, the home of Gaelic games and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), has welcomed rugby, soccer, and major concerts in the past.
In the 1990s, it even staged a preseason exhibition between the Chicago Bears and the Steelers, but this will be the first competitive NFL game on Irish soil.
For the Vikings, it will be their fifth international appearance, while the Steelers will be making just their second trip overseas. The matchup itself carries intrigue: Pittsburgh has won four of the past six meetings since 2001, although the Vikings claimed the most recent clash in 2021, 36–28. Kickoff in Dublin is set for 2:30 p.m. BST.
