The Pittsburgh Steelers have secured the marketing rights for Ireland and Northern Ireland and are looking to host an NFL game in their new market in the near future.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have recently secured marketing rights for Ireland and Northern Ireland alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars and plan to host a Regular Season NFL game in their new market in the future.

“Long-term, we’re looking to host a game in Ireland,” Daniel Rooney, the Steelers’ director of business development and strategy, said, according to the Associated Press: “As we move through the process, we’ll evaluate all options.”

The franchise’s ties to Ireland go far beyond marketing interests, however, as the late owner Dan Rooney was also the United States ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.

“When the opportunity arose for NFL teams to become more active in countries outside the US, the Steelers couldn’t have been more excited to revive and add to the traditions my grandfather so proudly established here in Ireland,” Rooney is further quoted as saying on the team’s website.

Pittsburgh previously played a preseason game at Dublin’s Croke Park in 1997, beating the Chicago Bears 30-17 on that occasion.

Steelers and Ireland “perfect match” for NFL boss Gosper

Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), holds a full 82,300 and would almost certainly be the venue for a future Steelers game in Ireland.

GAA President Larry McCarthy joined Rooney at a press conference at the stadium and said the organisation was “delighted to be associated with you, such a famous name and brand as the Steelers”.

Welcome @SteelersIreland @steelers pic.twitter.com/Fu1I35wWsV

– Croke Park (@CrokePark) May 25, 2023

Brett Gosper, NFL head of UK and Europe, was also present at the announcement and described the Steelers and Ireland as a “perfect marriage”.

“There are so many connections, of course the heritage of the family and the Steelers organising the first and so far only game in Ireland,” Gosper pointed out.

Steelers game in Ireland unlikely in near future

Although the Steelers would love to host a game in Ireland, it is difficult to gauge when this might happen in the near future.

However, as far as hosting future Regular Season games on international soil is concerned, the country is said not to be on the NFL’s radar at the moment, according to “CBS”. Accordingly, it is expected that the franchise would have to wait a few years for its desired International Game.

As a basis for comparison, the report named the New England Patriots around owner Robert Kraft. The 81-year-old mentioned in January 2018 that he would like to host a game of his team in Germany and more than five years later, the wish will now be granted in week ten of the Regular Season of the new season.

If the NFL were to stick to a similar schedule to the Patriots, it would mean the Steelers would probably not be able to host a game in Ireland until 2028 at the earliest.