NFL at Croke Park: The best stadium in Dublin for the Match of the Year

An NFL trip to Dublin – but where exactly on the Emerald Isle? For weeks, it was one of the best-kept secrets regarding NFL International Game trips. For weeks, there was talk of Croke Park or the Aviva Stadium, where the Pittsburgh Steelers will play for the second time in their proud franchise history outside the USA. Football trip author and Dublin expert Carsten Germann on the fascination of Croke Park Stadium. 

In October 2024, I was once again at Croke Park in Dublin. The stadium in the northern neighborhood of Drumcondra, where the football club FC Shelbourne is based, is an absolute attraction for any visitor to Dublin, even on non-match days. 

With its three multi-story stands, Croke Park rises almost majestically above the surrounding city blocks. 

One can hardly look away. With 82,300 spectator seats, Croke Park in Dublin is the largest stadium in the Republic of Ireland. 

Only two stadiums in Europe are larger than Croke Park – those are, of course, England's football temple at Wembley with 90,000, which I visited in 2009 for the publisher DIE WERKSTATT, and after completion, the new Camp Nou in Barcelona (more in the Camp Nou renovation update) with 99,000 spectators. 

In terms of pure spectator capacity, Croke Park can certainly hold its own against "classic" NFL arenas in the USA, such as the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford (82,566) or the almost equally large Northwest Stadium of the Washington Commanders.

NFL Dublin Game: "Large and Passionate Fan Base" 

"We are excited to bring an NFL Regular-Season game to Dublin in 2025," said NFL Executive Vice President Peter O'Reilly during the announcement of the NFL Game Dublin. "Both the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise have deep roots in Ireland's history, and we look forward to debuting in Dublin, where we can bring our game to a large and passionate fan base in Ireland." 

Croke Park vs. Aviva Stadium – or the question: Is Croke Park really the right stage for the NFL Game Dublin? 

This decision, made by the NFL in early February 2025 in favor of Croke Park and against the newly reopened Aviva Stadium (New Lansdowne Road) in 2010, is understandable from an atmospheric perspective. 

Croke Park Dublin: "Hill 16" and the Sad History Behind It 

Another factor: the enormous tradition. Opened in 1870, finals of Gaelic Football have been held here since 1896. 

In 1913, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) acquired the ground and named it – as is customary in Catholic Ireland – after Archbishop Thomas Croke († 1902).

There is certainly no stadium in Dublin that is historically more deeply rooted in political events than Croke Park. 

During the first renovation works in World War I, the so-called Railway End, the currently uncovered section of the stadium, was built using rubble from the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, creating the hill "Hill 16." 

When it comes to capacity, the point in the Croke Park vs. Aviva comparison clearly goes to the larger stadium in Drumcondra. 

In the Aviva Stadium, the home arena of the Irish rugby and football national teams, which was also the venue for the Europa League final in 2011 and 2024, there is simply less room for over 30,000 fewer people than in Croke Park. 

The sophisticated architecture of Aviva Stadium with its horseshoe shape and the transparent plastic skin-covered roof speaks for this stadium.

From Croke Park in Dublin to the Airport – in Just 20 Minutes

The distance to Dublin Airport is not really a deciding factor, with just 21 or 22 minutes by taxi or car.

However, Croke Park, given the expected rush of the massive Pittsburgh Steelers community in Ireland, possibly swinging their towels together with the "Steelers Nation Germany e.V." (SNG), is simply the wiser choice. It’s just more spacious. 

My first visit to Croke Park dates back to October 13, 2007, an EU qualification match between Ireland and Germany (0:0) – and it was an experience. Even though no goals were scored. 

Tens of thousands of football fans in the green jerseys of the 1990 World Cup quarter-finalists made their way to Croke Park around noon and created a fantastic atmosphere in the pubs. 

From the Dublin party mile par excellence, Temple Bar, where you can watch the beer stock being replenished in the morning and enjoy some good small talk, a taxi will take you to the stadium in just 20 minutes. And of course, small talk with the Dublin taxi drivers is a must. The friendly drivers know all about sports…  

The Irish national anthem, sung loudly by nearly 80,000 fans of the "Green-White Army," was and will be a special goosebumps moment at the NFL premiere as well.

Croke Park, unlike other national stadiums such as in Paris or Vienna, does not have an athletics track. This means the best views from all stands – and a Croke Park hotel is just 500 meters away on Jones Road.