Our county-by-county guide takes a light-hearted look at some tenuous links between Gaelic football teams and their NFL counterparts
With NFL fever set to grip in the coming days ahead of the eagerly anticipated showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park, some GAA fans might be wondering which American Football team they should shout for this season.
The historic clash in Dublin on Sunday, September 28 will be the first time a regular-season NFL game has taken place in Ireland.
Croker hosted a pre-season game between the Steelers back in 1997 while the Aviva Stadium has regularly hosted College Football games.
Indeed, the Steelers are owned by the Rooney family, whose origins can be traced back to Newry, Co Down.
That might lead the Mournemen lending their support to the Black and Gold, but what about the other 31 counties?
Here’s a light-hearted look at some tenuous links between Gaelic football teams and their NFL counterparts.
Antrim – Washington Commanders
Plans for a new stadium have been dogged by controversy. Although Casement won’t be quite as expensive as the new £3bn, 65,0000-capacity stadium planned for the Commanders.
Armagh – LA Rams
Fine stadium. Former champions fell short in the play-offs last season and it remains to be seen if they can challenge again this term, but impossible to rule out.
Carlow – Jacksonville Jaguars
Just like when ‘Carlow rising’ was all the rage in the south west, the Jags enjoyed a run to the AFL championship game in 2017. Nothing to purr about since.
Cavan – Green Bay Packers
Once a dominant force, their fortunes have faded in recent times. Still capable of taking a major scalp on their day.
Clare – Miami Dolphins
Donald Trump owns golf courses here.
Cork – Las Vegas Raiders
Amazing new stadium, but little else to shout about in recent times.
Derry – Detroit Lions
Stacked roster. Seemed set for a run at the Super Bowl before blowing up in the play-offs. Have they missed the boat?
Donegal – Kansas City Chiefs
Manager seems determined to squeeze every last ounce from veteran receiver. Need to bounce back from crushing defeat in last year’s season finale.
Down – Pittsburgh Steelers
Strong links to Newry and a proud tradition of success. Trying to recreate past glories with a mixture of youth and experience.
Dublin – New England Patriots
Not the same since the departure of legendary coach and quarterback.
Fermanagh – Tennessee Titans
Another franchise who love their country music. On the field, they’ve had little to sing about of late.
Galway – San Francisco 49ers
Seemed destined to win in 2024, but fell short on the biggest stage. Nothing went their way in 2025, but they’ve too much quality to write off.
Kerry – Philadelphia Eagles
The defending champions in each code. David Clifford is certainly Gaelic Football’s MVP. Demanding fanbase expects nothing less than silverware.
Kildare – Indianapolis Colts
Horse-racing country.
Kilkenny – New York Jets
Great for tourists and they love their sport. But football isn’t the main show in town.
Laois – New York Giants
Home pitch is used to host major events, but the local team has struggled to stay relevant in recent seasons.
Leitrim – Cleveland Browns
Some questionable off-field decisions have fans wondering what the future of the franchise is.
Limerick – Chicago Bears
Often overshadowed by other sports teams in the city.
Longford – New Orleans Saints
One is sinking. The other has sunk.
Louth – Baltimore Ravens
Physically imposing outfit despite less than fearful moniker.
Mayo – Buffalo Bills
Habit of losing finals. Fiercely loyal fanbase will always believe next year will be their year.
Meath – Denver Broncos
Another team with a rich history of success and are a franchise on the up thanks to their star player
Monaghan – Seattle Seahawks
Hit by the loss of several key players in recent campaigns and they’ve slipped back into the chasing pack.
Offaly – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Former champions. Home stadium capable of generating a great atmosphere on match day. The team just needs to give them something to cheer about.
Roscommon – Cincinnati Bengals
Have players who would grace any team in the League. Capable of putting together a challenge if things fall into place.
Sligo – Arizona Cardinals
Often overshadowed by divisional rivals.
Tipperary – LA Chargers
This franchise tends to have more success when they are swinging a bat/hurl.
Tyrone – Dallas Cowboys
Crazy about their football. Forget Beyoncé – Philomena Begley is the first queen of country.
Waterford – Minnesota Vikings
Ireland’s oldest city is believed to have been founded by Vikings in the 9th century.
Westmeath – Houston Texans
The odd play-off appearance in recent campaigns. Difficult to know what level they are at.
Wexford – Carolina Panthers
Nice place to holiday. Football team has struggled to make an impact for quite some time.
Wicklow – Atlanta Falcons
Big name arrival from the north hasn’t yielded the results fans would have hoped for.
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