Steelers meet Saints in Paris for historic first NFL game in France
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- The NFL plays its first regular-season game in France on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
- Pittsburgh faces New Orleans at Stade de France, near Paris, in Week 7.
- Pittsburgh enters at 4-2, while New Orleans enters at 2-4 as the home team.
The NFL is the top pro American football league in the United States. On Sunday, October 25, 2026, it plays a regular-season game in France for the first time. The Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris.
What happened
The game is part of Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season. Kickoff is at 9:30 AM Eastern Time in the United States. That is 2:30 PM local time in Paris, and 6:30 PM in Pakistan.
New Orleans is the designated home team for this game. That means the Saints count it as a home game, even though it is played far from their city. The stadium is Stade de France, the large national stadium near Paris.
In the United States, NFL Network shows the game across the country. Fans can also stream it through NFL+, the league's own streaming service.
In New Orleans, local station WDSU also carries the game. In Pittsburgh, WTAE-TV carries it, according to Yardbarker.
Dave Pasch calls the play-by-play on the broadcast. Kurt Warner and Jason Kelce join him as analysts. Warner is a former star quarterback, and Kelce is a former star center.
Why it matters
This is a historic first for the NFL in France. The league has played regular-season games in London, Munich, and Dublin before. It had never played one in France until today.
For the teams, the stakes are real. Pittsburgh sits at 4-2, tied with two rivals in its division. The Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Ravens all hold 4-2 records.
A win keeps Pittsburgh in step with them.
New Orleans sits at 2-4 and third in its division. The Saints need a win to avoid falling further behind. They have not yet won two games in a row this season.
The game also goes ahead against a tense backdrop in Paris. USA Today reports that protests have broken out often in and around Paris since September. Thousands of people have been arrested, and curfews have been set in some areas.
The NFL has decided to go ahead with the game. The league says its game sites are secure.
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy has said he trusts the plan. He has also said his team is excited for the trip.
What to watch: the quarterbacks
The quarterback is the player who throws the ball and leads the attack. Pittsburgh starts Aaron Rodgers, a veteran star. New Orleans starts Tyler Shough, a young quarterback.
Rodgers has found form in recent weeks. Over his past four games, he has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. A touchdown is worth six points, and an interception is a pass caught by the other team.
Shough plays through a hand injury in this game. He has broken bones in his left hand, which is not his throwing hand. He practiced fully on Friday, and he carries no game-day injury label.
The last meeting between these teams came on November 13, 2022. Pittsburgh won that game 20-10 in Pittsburgh. New Orleans still leads the all-time series 9-8.
What to watch: recent form
Both teams won close games last week. Pittsburgh beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-19 in overtime.
The Steelers trailed 16-3 entering the fourth quarter. Rodgers then threw two late touchdown passes, including the winner to rookie Germie Bernard.
New Orleans beat the New York Giants 34-27 on the road. The Saints trailed 10-0 late in the first half.
They then scored 34 straight points. Shough threw three touchdown passes and ran for one more.
The defenses tell a different story. New Orleans allows 29.7 points per game, the worst mark in the league.
Pittsburgh allows far less, and its pass defense ranks seventh in the NFL. It gives up just 204.3 passing yards per game.
Bookmakers list Pittsburgh as a 3-point favorite, according to TheSpread. That means the market expects Pittsburgh to win by about three points. All six USA Today staff picks back Pittsburgh to win, with scores from 16-10 to 30-24.
What happens next
The winner takes a useful step in the middle of the season. A Pittsburgh win would lift the Steelers to 5-2. It would also give them a third win in a row.
A New Orleans win would lift the Saints to 3-4. It would also give them their first back-to-back wins of the season. A loss would drop them to 2-5.
Pittsburgh returns home next week for a division game. The Steelers host the Cleveland Browns in Week 8 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Cleveland already beat Pittsburgh once this season, in Week 4.
For fans of the Saints, this Paris trip is a rare chance to see the team abroad. For fans of the Giants, New Orleans is a familiar recent foe. And for readers new to the league, our overtime rules explainer sets out how extra time works in the NFL.
Whatever the result in Paris, one fact stands. The NFL has now played a real league game on French soil. That door, once opened, is hard to close.
Related stories
Why Is Altitude Sickness Worse for Some People?
Altitude sickness hits some people harder because of genetics, ascent speed, and prior history, not fitness level. Here is what raises risk
Why Do You Get Blisters When Hiking and How to Prevent Them
Friction plus moisture plus heat equals a blister. Learn why hiking breeds all three, and the boots, socks, and tape system that keeps
How to choose hiking boots for beginners: fit, features, and break-in
Beginners should buy for fit first: snug everywhere, tight nowhere, with a thumb's width at the toes. Here is how to size, test,