Feb 2 (Reuters) – The National Football League will stage its first regular season game in Paris this year, it said on Monday, naming the New Orleans Saints as one of the participating teams.
The match will take place at the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium, which hosted the track and field events at the 2024 Olympics, and was the venue for the 1998 soccer World Cup final, and 2007 and 2023 rugby World Cup finals.
“Paris is one of the world’s greatest sporting and cultural cities with tremendous success in hosting global events,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
The NFL has also secured a multi-year deal to return to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and will stage a game in Melbourne, Australia this year, featuring the Los Angeles Rams.
Regular season matches have been held in London since 2007, with Germany, Brazil, Ireland and Mexico also hosting games in the last four years as part of an effort to broaden the league’s global footprint.
The NFL staged a record seven international matches last year.
“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,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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