The NFL is returning to Mexico, and the Pittsburgh Steelers might not be far behind. During his annual State of the NFL press conference, commissioner Roger Goodell announced the league will play a December 2026 game in Mexico City. It’s the ninth known international game of the upcoming season. This announcement comes on the heels of Monday morning’s news that the league will play a game in Paris, France, during the season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces the league is back in Mexico City in December of 2026. So, that’s nine intentional games.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 2, 2026
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter added, the league plans to play 2026, 2027, and 2028 games at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.
The NFL will return to Mexico City to play regular season games for the next three years at Estadio Banorte, starting in the 2026 season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2026
The NFL’s last game in Mexico, in 2022, featured the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
With just eight home games this season, it seems impossible for Pittsburgh to be the home team. But in theory, the Steelers could be a road team. Pittsburgh is one of the most popular NFL teams in Mexico and would be a ratings and fan draw.
The Steelers played a 2000 preseason game in Mexico City in front of more than 87,000 fans. ESPN estimated 90 percent of them were cheering on Pittsburgh. Ultimately, the Steelers fell to the Indianapolis Colts 24-23.
Since then, there has been speculation of the team returning. In 2015, rumors picked up that the team would soon play there in a regular-season game, with owner Art Rooney II expressing optimism over the idea. Plans, however, never came together. In 2023, speculation increased that the NFL would hold a game in Mexico, but the stadium underwent construction for the World Cup, scrapping any potential plans.
Despite those false starts, the Steelers have kept close ties to the country. Players have made regular team-sanctioned trips there often to announce draft picks. Mexico is one of the international countries Pittsburgh holds marketing rights to. When the Steelers were assigned Ireland, it was viewed as foreshadowing the team eventually playing there. In 2025, Pittsburgh hosted the first-ever regular-season game in Dublin.
In the past, Rooney assumed Pittsburgh’s next international trip would come in Mexico or Ireland. He got the latter. He may soon experience the former.
Though 2026 may seem unlikely for the Steelers to play in Mexico, it seems inevitable to take place over the upcoming three-year slate. Hosting a game in 2027, when Pittsburgh will have nine home games and can “give” one to another country, as they did in 2025, makes the most sense.