The Olympics. The World Cup. Major European professional soccer championships. The Rugby World Cup.
And now, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 28-year-old Stade de France has hosted its share of major events over the years. Next is an NFL regular-season game.
The league on Wednesday formally announced its slate of nine 2026 international games, and the Steelers will play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 25 in what will be a 9:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
“We’re honored to represent the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL in the league’s first-ever game in Paris this upcoming season,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a prepared statement. “Playing the New Orleans Saints in such a historic setting is a great opportunity to showcase the NFL’s global growth and to connect with fans around the world. It’s an exciting moment for our organization and for Steelers Nation everywhere.”
The Saints are the designated home team, and in France they are currently the only team the NFL has granted marketing rights.
But make no mistake, it is widely expected that Steelers fans will outnumber Saints partisans by the time the game kicks off 5 ½ months from now.
That was by far the case last season when the Steelers played the first NFL regular-season game in Dublin — albeit, Ireland is under the Steelers’ NFL-granted marketing umbrella, and the Steelers were the team who gave up a home game to play there.
This Saints-Steelers game is the first the league has played in France.
“The highly anticipated 2026 NFL Paris game is an exciting new chapter in the league’s global growth efforts,” NFL head of Europe & Asia Pacific Brett Gosper said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to welcoming the Steelers alongside the Saints to the Stade de France on Sunday, Oct. 25 to create NFL history together.
“Paris is a global city synonymous with some of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural moments, and we can’t wait to bring the excitement of an NFL gameday to fans from France and around the world this fall.”
As the designated visiting team, Steelers fans won’t have the same level of access to tickets they did for last year’s Dublin game against the Minnesota Vikings. The league website for the 2026 Saints-Steelers game, including ticket information, is nfl.com/Paris. The more general site for league information on international games is nfl.com/internationalgames.
Even Saints season ticket holders aren’t guaranteed tickets. Saints season ticket holders will be entered into a random draw for the right to purchase up to two tickets.
“It is a privilege for the New Orleans Saints to take part in the NFL’s first regular season game in France,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a prepared statement. “Louisiana’s relationship with France is centuries deep, and this game represents another meaningful step in strengthening those cultural and economic ties.”
The Paris game was one of nine international kickoffs the NFL announced Wednesday. The full 2026 league schedule is to be unveiled Thursday evening.
Before this second consecutive season headed to Europe, the Steelers had had the NFL’s longest time between international games. Their only other international kickoff was in 2013 in London against the Vikings, albeit the Steelers did previously play some preseason games abroad.
Though Paris isn’t looked at as one of the strongest European footholds for American football, according to the NFL there are more than 14 million fans of the league in France.
The Paris game is the sixth of the nine international games in 2026, spanning from a Sept. 10 Week 1 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, and running through a Vikings-49ers game in Mexico City on Nov. 22.
“Hosting the National Football League’s first regular-season game in France marks a historic milestone and serves as a powerful symbol of our country’s international sporting influence,” Marina Ferrari, Ministre des Sports, de la Jeunesse et de la Vie Associative, said in a prepared statement. “This event at the Stade de France highlights France’s appeal as a host for major international sporting events, building on the legacy of the major events we have recently hosted, foremost among them the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Beyond the spectacle, this event is also a tremendous opportunity to introduce and develop the sport of American football, particularly among young people.”