The National Football League’s international footprint will expand to Paris next season, with the New Orleans Saints taking part in a regular-season game.
The league made the announcement on Monday and said that Stade de France, the national stadium, will host the contest. An opponent for the Saints will be announced later.
“Bringing a regular season game to Paris in 2026 marks an exciting next step in the continued expansion of the league’s global footprint,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events that unite fans on the biggest stages. Playing our first‑ever regular season game at the impressive Stade de France, together with the New Orleans Saints, underlines our continued global growth ambitions and we look forward to bringing the NFL to our passionate fans in France.”
The 2026 NFL Paris Game will be the ninth regular season game to take place on foreign soil. Also making its international debut next season is Melbourne, Australia, with the Los Angeles Rams set to take part in that game. Other locations include Rio de Janeiro, which will host its first game after Sao Paulo hosted contests each of the last two years, as well as Munich.
The league will also return to Mexico City for the first time in four years, while another matchup will be held in Madrid. Three games are slated for London, with the Jacksonville Jaguars taking part in one of them at Wembley Stadium.
France will become the sixth European country to host either a preseason or regular season game. It joins the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and Sweden, with the Swedes the only one of that group to solely host an exhibition.
Once rumors started that the NFL would head to France one day, the Saints were considered a likely contestant. The team has marketing rights within the country, and both New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole have a long association with France.
Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, the King of France from 1643 to 1715, and perhaps the most famous New Orleans neighborhood is the French Quarter. Saints team owner Gayle Benson highlighted the strong ties between Louisiana and France.
“We are excited to be selected to play in the first regular season game to be held in France,” said Benson. “This moment is special not only because of the strong cultural connection between Louisiana and France, but also because we will compete before a growing Saints fan base in Paris. I am grateful to the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the French Government, especially Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the United States, Samuel Ducroquet, Ambassador of France to Sport, for helping make this historic event possible.”
The Saints have nine home games and eight road games on next year’s schedule, and one of the home matchups is likely to become the NFL Paris game. Apart from its divisional opponents, New Orleans is slated to host the Cardinals, Browns, Packers, Raiders, Steelers, and Vikings.
This will be New Orleans’ fourth regular season game overseas, with the three prior ones all in the United Kingdom, the last of which was in 2022. The franchise is 2-1 all-time in international games.
The Stade de France is the largest stadium in the country with a capacity of nearly 81,000. It hosts matches for the French National Soccer Team and the French National Rugby Union Team. It has also hosted the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, three UEFA Champions League Finals, and several events at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Despite there being just four French-born players in NFL history, none of whom are active, but one of whom, Pat Saindon, played for the Saints, the NFL states that the country is one of the fastest-growing for new fans. Per the NFL, France has over 14 million NFL fans, and NFL Flag—the league’s official youth flag football program—launched in the country in 2023. The NFL’s official social media accounts for the French combine for over 500,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, and X.
The 2026 NFL season is shaping up to be a monumental one for the Saints with this announcement adding to the team potentially adding several former players to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former quarterback Drew Brees is all but a lock to be inducted this year, his first year of eligibility. Also, offensive lineman Jahri Evans, who spent 11 years with the Saints, is a Hall of Fame finalist, as is defensive tackle Kevin Williams, who played one year with the team.
Furthermore, Eli Manning and Reggie Wayne are both Hall of Fame finalists. While neither played for the Saints, both are natives of New Orleans.
