The Kansas City Chiefs have told the NFL they wish to be considered for a fixture in Ireland in the near future, three weeks out from the first-ever regular season game in Dublin between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
The Chiefs, who kicked off their season last week with defeat to the Chargers in Sao Paolo, are keen to continue their global push by pitching up at Croke Park.
On 28 September America's game will roll into the Irish capital when the Steelers and Vikings battle it out at GAA HQ.
Over 600,000 queued for tickets online in the initial sale for tickets earlier in the summer. Many supporters were left frustrated after queuing for hours online amid technical issues.
As demand reaches fever pitch, other teams are starting to look at the island of Ireland as a viable option for a game in the future.
Lara Krug, chief marketing officer and executive vice-president for the Chiefs, has indicated the team's desire to play in the Irish capital.
This week, they released news about their international plans. This included the launch of a range of internationally-themed mascots - KC O'Wolf is the new Irish-market mascot that will attempt to tap into the local culture and represent the team across Ireland.
One of the biggest reasons for this potential game featuring superstars such as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the Irish capital is the attraction the team feels towards the market.
"I don't think we were surprised at all by the response from Irish fans to the first NFL game to be played in Dublin this year," Krug told RTÉ Sport. "Irish fans are passionate, and although Ireland is a smaller country in both size and population, you can see that there is real excitement for the NFL there."
One of the questions for NFL fans will be how soon this could happen. The Missouri-based Chiefs have eight home games on their schedule next year - and if it were to occur, it could be as the designated away team for a potential match-up.
"The timelines are all NFL-dependent as they control the schedule and who is selected to play in international games", she said.
"However, we have talked openly about our aggressive approach to showing up globally, and we work hard to make sure the NFL knows that we want to be featured in international games, including potentially playing in Ireland in the near future."
They plan to have a presence in Dublin during the inaugural weekend later this month, thanks to the marketing rights that the franchise has for Ireland.
The potential addition of the Chiefs would be a huge coup to the city, with a team who has been a generational success over the last number of years. They won the Super Bowl in 2020, 2023 and 2024, while also appearing in the 2021 and 2025 title matches.
Last week, at an NFL Flag event in Clondalkin, Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan expressed his desire to bring additional events and games to the Irish capital.
The Government has committed to nearly €10 million in funding for the event, and is anticipating 30,000 international visitors, who will add an estimated €64m boost in economic activity and significant tax returns to the exchequer. It expects the NFL to spend between €14m and €18m on staging the game here.
Some early estimates suggest the game could be worth around €250m to the country.
