IRELAND’S economy benefitted from a €104.5m boost when the nation hosted its first NFL game last year.
In September 2025 US tourists descended on Dublin in their droves to watch the Minnesota Vikings take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park.
A further 9.1m viewers watched the event from home.
The event, held on Sunday, September 28, saw more than 51,500 international visitors arrive in Ireland for the game, which generated an estimated €104.5m in total economic impact, new figures reveal.
Research carried out by the advisory firm BDO on behalf of Fáilte Ireland confirmed the financial gain the nation enjoyed by playing host to the US sporting fixture.
It represents a mammoth return on the €9.95m in investment the Irish Government committed to in order to secure the rights to host the game.
Dublin enjoyed a spending surge when the NFL came to town“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,” Ireland’s Minister for Culture Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan said as the figures were released this week.
“In fact, the economic return was more than ten times the level of Government funding,” he added.
“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.”
Of the €104.5m generated from Ireland’s hosting of the NFL game €76.8m was direct spend driven by accommodation, food and beverage, retail and transport expenditure, along with event operational costs and associated activities.
The research further shows that the €104.5m figure also includes indirect and induced impact of €27.7 million arising from the wider multiplier effect across the economy.
The findings confirm that every €1 of public funding on the event generated €2.24 in tax receipts for the Exchequer, “demonstrating a strong and measurable fiscal return alongside the wider economic impact”.
Following the success of the first NFL game, the Irish Government has announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with the NFL to develop the Flag Football sport in Ireland.
“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,” Minister O’Donovan said.
“This partnership will create lots of opportunities for participation in sport around the country and continue to strengthen our relationship with the NFL.”
The NFL delivered flag football starter kits to more than 900 post-primary schools on the island of Ireland prior to the September 2025 game and NFL Flag is now active in 100 schools across the island of Ireland.
This includes 45 primary and 55 post-primary schools, with more than 4,500 boys and girls now playing flag football regularly.
The programme aims to expand participation to more than 50,000 young people by 2027.
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