Vikings vs. Steelers in Dublin: What to know about the NFL’s Ireland game

The Athletic has live coverage of Week 4’s Vikings vs Steelers game.

The NFL’s world tour covers five countries and seven weeks this year. Week 1 cracked the passport open with a bumper in Brazil; this second overseas game of 2025 has similar star magnetism, as Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face Justin Jefferson’s Minnesota Vikings. Special events like these invite a round of questions. Why is the NFL setting up camp in Ireland? Which side are the Dubliners pulling for? Will Rodgers flagrantly misquote “Finnegans Wake,” or will he reveal a hidden talent with the Celtic harp? Hopefully, the explainer below makes sense of everything to come.

How to watch Vikings vs. Steelers

Venue: Croke Park — Dublin

Time: 9:30 a.m. ET, Sunday

TV (national): NFL Network

Vikings, in market: Fox channel 9 (KMSP)

Steelers, in market: ABC channel 4 (WTAE)

Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)

Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

NFL Network also streams on NFL+.

The stakes for each team

Minnesota and Pittsburgh each won two of its first three games. After Sunday, one of these playoff hopefuls will be lifted to an encouraging 3-1 start (well, unless there is a tie). The Vikings pulled off a Week 1 road comeback on “Monday Night Football” and stunned the Chicago Bears with 21 fourth-quarter points. They fell flat in their follow-up, a “Sunday Night Football” snoozer against the Atlanta Falcons, then routed the Cincinnati Bengals (48-10) in a battle of backup quarterbacks.

The Steelers eked out an off-the-rails opening weekend win at the New York Jets (34-32 after a decisive 60-yard field goal), and it served as a de facto revenge look for Rodgers following his disastrous Meadowlands stopover. Their first home game was not quite as great, falling two scores short of the Seattle Seahawks, but they got right last Sunday and beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro.

In addition to matching 2-1 records, both teams have two critical similarities coloring their outlooks.

First, they both made quarterback changes despite 2024 playoff runs. Minnesota first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy missed his would-be rookie season due to a torn meniscus. He took over the starting job this fall, only to suffer a high ankle sprain in the Week 2 loss. Journeyman and childhood Vikes fan Carson Wentz assumes the QB responsibilities. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, swapped one former Super Bowl winner (Russell Wilson) for another in the 41-year-old Rodgers.

Second, they’re both in strong divisions. Pittsburgh can’t take any weeks off as it tries to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens, two-time defending champs of the AFC North. Minnesota has to deal with two possible Super Bowl contenders, the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, as it vies for the NFC North.

The broadcast situation

All of the NFL’s international games in Europe are shown live on NFL Network for U.S. audiences. There’s also a local simulcast in the respective teams’ regions, meaning this Sunday’s contest has in-market listings for Pittsburgh and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Traversing multiple time zones sets us up for some wonkiness, and fans in the North Star State will have to wake up around 8 a.m. CT to catch the start of the game. It’s the rare NFL kickoff that calls for pancakes.

Joe Davis will handle the play-by-play narration in Ireland. He’s perhaps best known as the voice of the World Series, but he’s a talented football announcer in his own right, with a punctuated call that can resemble a bang-bang play at first base. Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen will be flanking him in color commentary; Pam Oliver and Jamie Erdahl will report from the sidelines. That broadcast team, minus Erdahl, is exclusive to Fox on other weekends.

Gridiron football’s history in Ireland

This is the first regular-season NFL game set in Ireland, though the Steelers were part of a preseason Dublin trip in July 1997. That exhibition was aptly called the “American Bowl,” and it took place at the same Croke Park venue we’ll see this weekend. More than 30,000 fans were in attendance for the scrimmage between Pittsburgh and Chicago. Expect that number to be 75,000 or so on Sunday, according to Irish news outlet RTÉ. “Croker,” as it’s affectionately known, has been the headquarters for Gaelic national athletics since the late 19th century.

The NCAA planted its flag in Ireland with the “Emerald Isle Classic” in 1988. The “Aer Lingus College Football Classic” began in 2016 and has recently turned into an annual event. College football’s 2025 season opener between Iowa State and Kansas State was staged at Aviva Stadium, and it drew a sellout crowd of approximately 47,200 fans.

As for why this NFL-Ireland game is happening now? It’s all part of what The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch calls the league’s “larger global plan,” which could involve up to 10 international games in 2026 and … maybe an overseas Super Bowl one day? Execs dream of a worldwide witching hour, where audiences in countries far and wide marvel at Brian Flores’ blitz packages and debate whether Jonnu Smith made a football move.

Which team has stronger Irish ties?

The Steelers are owned by the Rooney family, who emigrated from Newry during the Great Famine of the 1840s. Dan Rooney was the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland from 2009-12, and the Steelers are one of just six NFL teams with global marketing rights on the Emerald Isle. For those who were wondering, Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” made it up to No. 14 on the Irish Singles Chart back in 2011.

Look further and there’s a surprising amount of purple, too. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell sports a rather Irish surname, and his team has won two London games since his arrival in 2022. That has inspired a Vikings U.K. fan club, which is mobilizing supporters throughout the week. And there was a literal Viking Age in Ireland. Maybe we are due for another, with Jefferson finding a Gaelic “Griddy” to celebrate future touchdowns.

What are the players doing over there?

Practicing, mostly. Rodgers said he looked forward to drinking a glass of Guinness from the tap. Steelers alumni Jerome Bettis and Ike Taylor made the trip to wave Terrible Towels. The main thing here is Minnesota’s adjustment process, as it’s the first NFL team to play back-to-back international games in different countries. The Vikings are in London after this for a Week 5 clash with the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“It’s basically like we’re on tour,” Mike Parson, the Vikings’ director of equipment services, told The Athletic’s Alec Lewis. “And we’ve got two stages.”

Who is expected to win on Sunday?

Even with second-stringer Wentz in tow, oddsmakers are leaning toward Minnesota. The Vikings opened as 2.5-point favorites, and a particularly low scoring total (41 points) suggests a narrow matchup. Pittsburgh shouldn’t be underestimated in this spot, though — Mike Tomlin is a natural motivator who has yet to coach a losing season in 19 years. He does not blink; at minimum, his group should bring intensity and resolve.

2025 NFL International Games

All upcoming games start at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Week 1 (Friday, Sept. 5): Los Angeles Chargers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 21

Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil

Week 4 (Sunday, Sept. 28): Minnesota Vikings vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland

Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 5): Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England

Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 12): Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England

Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 19): Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Wembley Stadium in London, England

Week 10 (Sunday, Nov. 9): Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts

Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany

Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 16): Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain

Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo of Justin Jefferson: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)

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