The Pittsburgh Steelers have been selected by the NFL to play in the first-ever regular-season game held in Dublin, Ireland. Since the announcement, it has been speculated who the opponent for the exciting contest will be. While the season schedule has yet to be released, the Steelers' list of opponents has been revealed, and according to one reporter, one team has a surprising edge on being Pittsburgh's opponent in Dublin.
Ben Goessling, beat writer for the Minnesota Vikings, covered the topic in his newsletter, Access Vikings. Goessling pointed out that three of the Vikings' opponents for the upcoming season play international games with the Steelers being one of them. Goessling singled out the Steelers' Dublin game as the most likely foreign market game that the Vikings would play in.
"The game worth keeping an eye on, in fact, might be the one against the Steelers," Goessling wrote.
The Steelers facing the Green Bay Packers while having veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers on their team would be exciting, and it would be reasonable that Pittsburgh would want to keep a game like that on their home turf, but it has been rumored that the Steelers prefer for that not to be the case. However, whether or not the organization lands Rodgers likely won't be a factor that goes into determining who their opponent is in Dublin.
As far as speculation goes, no one is really sure what the end result of the schedule will be. Goessling crosses the Vikings' other opponents with international games off through the process of elimination. The reporter says that the possibility of the Vikings playing against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil sounded remote at the NFL Owners Meeting.
It would also be unlikely for Minnesota to play the Cleveland Browns in London, as the Vikings played there last year, and it would be the third time Minnesota played in London in four years. Goessling wrote that the Steelers' opponents for the Dublin game could be revealed before the rest of the regular season schedule.
Funny enough, the Steelers' only international game so far has been against the Vikings. The teams faced off in London, England, in 2013. The result was a Vikings victory. Since then, the Steelers haven't played another international game. Aside from giving up home-field advantage, playing too many international games runs the risk of upsetting the core fan base.
The NFL has been pushing for more international games to be held, with a record five being played in 2024. The Steelers have long been one of the more reluctant teams to play in other countries, but that could be changing.
Should the upcoming Dublin game be a one-off event, or the start of a consistent Steelers presence abroad, remains to be seen. With Pittsburgh landing marketing rights abroad in other countries, the team may be setting itself up for more international games outside of Ireland.
Steelers Land International Marketing Rights In Ireland As Well As Other Countries
The Steelers have marketing rights in Ireland, as well as in Germany and Mexico as part of the NFL's Global Markets Program. According to the NFL, the program was created to build more interest in the NFL around the world.
"Launched in 2022, the Global Markets Program awards NFL clubs international marketing rights to build brand awareness and fandom beyond the U.S., through fan engagement, events, commercial opportunities, and NFL Flag development."
As a part of the Global Markets Program, the Steelers could have even more opportunities to play games in their designated countries. Should the Steelers play the Vikings this season in Dublin, the team will aim to avenge its 2013 loss in London.
