NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has confirmed that there will be no regular season game in Ireland in 2026, despite the huge success of the first ever game in Dublin last year.
Minnesota Vikings took on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park in September with the Steelers winning 24-21 in front of a sold-out capacity crowd.
Thousands of American fans flew in for the match, with the Irish government investing €9.95m, before VAT, into the event.
Widely considered a success, there was hope that Dublin would be among the venues for the 2026 season, but speaking at a press conference ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl clash between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, Goodell dashed those hopes.
Asked by Irish NFL journalist Michael McQuaid if there were plans for a return this year, Goodell confirmed there were not, but he did hold out hope that the NFL would be back in the future.
"We did have a wonderful time and I think both clubs had a great time and our fans had a spectacular time," said Goodell.
"One of the things about that game that stands out to me is that it felt like the entire island was in support of this.
"That game had more people come from the States for an international game than any game in our history of the international series, and I think that's a tribute to Ireland.
"We will be back, I would guess that will we be back in a few years. We’ve got to work with the officials on that and when that happens but I would expect that to happen and that’s our intention."
The NFL announced nine international games for 2026, including three in London. Previous hosts Madrid, Munich and Rio de Janeiro will all host games, while Paris and Melbourne will get their first NFL games.
Goodell also revealed that his long-term plan would be to have 16 international games every year, with each of the 32 NFL teams travelling for an international match every season.
"I've said many times 16 games, so that every team is playing a regular season game every season," he added.
"I think that’s an important mark for us to go for. I think we’re well on our way, with the desire we have from our side, but also the desire for people to have this in their communities, and some of the greatest cities in the world are asking to do this."
