First NFL game in Ireland delivers €104.5m for economy
STEEL CITY: Pittsburgh Steelers fans take over Hill 16 during the 2025 NFL Dublin match. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho
A press release from the the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has confirmed that the NFL Dublin game held at Croke Park in September 2025 generated an estimated €104.5m in total economic impact for Ireland.
Following new research undertaken by BDO on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, the department confirmed €76.8m was spent on accommodation, food and beverage, retail and transport expenditure, along with event operational costs and associated activities.
The total figure also includes "indirect and induced impact of €27.7m arising from the wider multiplier effect across the economy."
The game, which featured the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, attracted an attendance of 74,512 fans with 37% of those travelling from the United States and 30% coming from other international markets.
The game also captured global attention and drew a US TV audience of 9.2 million viewers.
It appears that the NFL event didn't just garner huge profits for the Irish economy, it also led to growing enthusiasm and investment in flag football.
According to the department, the Government and the NFL have "confirmed a joint funding approach to support the continued expansion of flag football across Ireland."
"The Government will provide funding via Sport Ireland of up to €200,000 per annum over the next 3 years, with a particular focus on supporting the capacity growth of American Football Ireland, to match NFL investment in growing the game."
In conjunction with this, the NFL delivered flag starter kits to more than 900 post-primary schools across the country prior to the September 2025 game and NFL Flag is now active in 100 schools across Ireland.
This includes 45 primary and 55 post-primary schools, with more than 4,500 boys and girls now playing regularly. The programme aims to expand participation to more than 50,000 young people by 2027.
Building on this momentum, the Government and the NFL’s joint match funding initiative will help provide support to American Football Ireland, alongside coaching resources and programme support to accelerate this grassroots growth.
Commenting on the report’s findings and the Flag Football initiative, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, said: “The Government agreed to provide up to €9.95m to secure and put on the game and these results show this was money well-spent and provided an excellent return on investment.
"In fact, the economic return was more than ten times the level of Government funding. The fixture significantly enhanced Irish tourism, strengthened our cultural and international links with the United States, and further strengthened Ireland’s international reputation as a leading destination for major global sporting and cultural events.
"Ireland is now well positioned for future NFL fixtures, and I look forward to further engaging with the NFL on this."
Mr O'Donovan continued: "On foot of the tremendous success of the game, I’m delighted to announce this multi-year strategic collaboration with the NFL, Sport Ireland and American Football Ireland for the development of flag football in Ireland.
"Flag Football is an exciting sport, growing at a phenomenal rate globally. This partnership will create lots of opportunities for participation in sport around the country and continue to strengthen our relationship with the NFL.”
