NFL Dublin 2025: Hotel prices surge almost 700% ahead of historic Croke Park showdown 

The Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers will go head-to-head at Croke Park later this month in what will be the first ever regular-season NFl game to be played in Ireland

With just weeks to go before Dublin hosts a regular season NFL game, fans hoping to stay overnight in the capital could be in for a shock.

The Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers will go head-to-head at Croke Park on Sunday, September 28.

It will be the first time Ireland has hosted a regular-season NFL game with the Steelers as the designated home team.

Croke Park previously hosted a pre-season tie between the Steelers and the Chicago Bears back in 1997 while the Aviva Stadium has hosted the Aer Lingus College Football Classic five times since 2016 with plans for the series to continue for at least another two years.

The capacity of Croke Park will be cut from 82,300 to around 76,000 for the game with temporary seating installed on Hill 16.

The new NFL season kicks off this week with the Steelers at the Jets on Sunday while the Vikings face NFC North rivals Chicago Bears in Soldier Field in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The week four clash at the end of the month will bring thousands of fans to Dublin with 30,000 international visitors expected to add a €64m boost to the local economy.

Yet, those who haven’t already secured accommodation could be forced to pay substantially more than the average cost for a hotel room.

With one online site highlighting that rooms in Dublin for Sunday, September 28 are “96 per cent unavailable” – those that are available might not suit every budget.

One four-star city centre hotel is €815 (£702) for a double room – although is just €122 one week earlier on Sunday, September 21.

Another hotel, which is within walking distance to Croke Park, is €1000 (£862) for the night of the game, with several hotels also offering a free taxi transfer to entice international travellers. The same hotel is €132 or £114 on September 21.

The most expensive hotel was listed at €4560 or £3,899 for the Sunday night and some hostels, normally a more budget-friendly option, were €260 (£224) for a shared room.