The prospect of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing a regular season game in Croke Park has moved a step closer with the Irish government briefed on Wednesday about a game taking place in Dublin as early as this autumn.

Speculation is rife that an announcement will be made prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans with the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Philadelphia Eagles.

The franchise gained the NFL marketing rights for Ireland through the NFL’s Global Markets Program and the Steelers have strong connections to the island.

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Owned by the Rooney family, whose ancestors hailed from Co Down, the Steelers played a pre-season game against the Chicago Bears in 1997 in Croke Park.

However, this would be the first time that a regular season NFL game has been played in Ireland.

Fine Gael’s election manifesto made reference to staging an NFL game in Ireland and it is understood the the business case for hosting such an event is being discussed between the NFL and the Irish Department of Arts, Tourism, Media and Sport.

The NFL are set to stage eight games internationally next season including three in London.

The Steelers have an additional home game next season and are keen to play in Dublin with Green Bay Packers touted as the ‘away’ team for the game which could take place as early as September.

The Steelers lost out to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild card round of this season’s play-offs and they last won the Super Bowl back in 2009.

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