The Steelers will face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in the first NFL regular-season game in France. The 80,000-seat stadium—France’s largest—has hosted the 1998 World Cup final, the 2024 Olympics and other major events. For Pittsburgh, it’s a chance to build on last year’s international win in Dublin and bring the NFL to another European audience.

By the Numbers
  • 80,000: Stade de France’s capacity for sporting events.
  • 74,512: Attendance at the Steelers’ 24-21 win over the Vikings in Dublin last year.
  • 3: The Steelers’ regular-season international games, each in a different European country.
  • 1998: The year Stade de France opened and hosted France’s 3-0 World Cup final win over Brazil.
Yes, But

Stade de France may not carry the same centuries-deep history as Dublin’s Croke Park, but it holds a distinct place in modern French culture. Its flexible design also makes it more than a football stadium: retractable seating and an underlying track allow it to host a range of sports and major events.

State of Play
  • The Steelers will play their second consecutive season-opening international game and their third regular-season game abroad.
  • Stade de France has drawn interest from NFL fans, the wider sports community and newcomers curious about American football.
  • The NFL opened a Paris office last month as it expands its year-round international presence.
What’s Next

Sunday’s matchup will introduce regular-season NFL football to France and test whether Paris can draw the kind of international crowd that filled the stadium in Dublin. A strong reception could help deepen the league’s foothold in France and across Europe.

Bottom Line

This is more than a road game: Stade de France gives the NFL a high-profile stage in a country where American football is still growing, while the Steelers get a chance to turn last year’s overseas success into a broader European presence.