The New Orleans Saints are preparing to play in Paris next season
New Orleans Saints president Dennis Lauscha confirmed that his team will play in Paris as the home team next NFL season
The New Orleans Saints are preparing to attempt to host what would be the first National Football League (NFL) game in Paris, France, as part of the international expansion the league has promoted in recent years.
This was confirmed by Dennis Lauscha, president of the New Orleans Saints, who stated that The team, which is based in Louisiana, is preparing to participate in the League's first experience on French soil. "You may hear in the coming weeks that we'll have an international game in Paris," Lauscha said Tuesday during a Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club event, which was reported by several NFL-focused media outlets. "We have the marketing rights in France and Monaco, so it makes a lot of sense. We're very excited about that possibility." According to NFL data, since the regular season was expanded to 17 games, in even-numbered years, NFC teams played nine home games. Therefore, the Saints' guaranteed home game would be played in Paris. So far, the venue being considered is the Stade de France, which hosted the 1998 World Cup final and is the home of the French national soccer team. This stadium, which boasts a total capacity of 81,338 spectators, double the capacity of the Parc des Princes (47,929 spectators). The New Orleans Saints are the only NFL team in the state of Louisiana, which was French territory for almost 200 years until the United States purchased the area. The team's logo is a fleur-de-lis, a symbol of French royalty since the Middle Ages. In 2023, they became the first team with a presence in France to exploit marketing rights as part of the Global Markets Program. The New Orleans franchise has played three games outside the United States, all in London. In 2008 and 2017 they played at Wembley, with their last visit to England in 2022, but at Tottenham Stadium.
Cities where an NFL game has been played
Since 2005, when an official NFL game was played at Azteca Stadium, 62 American football games have been scheduled outside the United States, with Madrid, Berlin, and Dublin hosting their first games in 2025.
Thus, games have been played in London: 42, Toronto: 6, Mexico City:5 (not including the return in 2026), Munich: 2, Frankfurt: 2, Sao Paulo: 2, Berlin: 1, Dublin: 1, and Madrid: 1
France would be the ninth country to host an international NFL game, and within this history that began 20 years ago in Mexico, it was followed by England, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and Spain, with the latter two hosting their first game in 2025. Australia would join next year, with the Rams playing their home games in Melbourne and the game obviously taking place in Paris.

