After a week in which protests closed its fan festival, its store and its fan house, the NFL got the game day it wanted in Paris. The first regular-season game in France went off on Sunday in sunshine and without trouble at the Stade de France, with a near-full house, French sporting royalty on the field, Burna Boy at halftime and a crowd that, by one Saints player’s count, was split about evenly between the two teams.
Pittsburgh won 16-10, and our game recap has the football. The league counted 78,488 fans, and Roger Goodell said that morning he had “zero doubt” the NFL would be back, as we reported on Sunday.
A calm Saint-Denis after a violent Saturday
Police were visible around the stadium but kept a low profile, and fans described the mood outside as relaxed. Saturday’s rain had cleared, and the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis about 10 kilometers north of central Paris, sat more than 13 kilometers from the Porte d’Italie, where Saturday’s Paris march had started. No trouble was reported around the stadium.
“Wonderful, really good,” was how James Brown, a 51-year-old Saints fan who flew in for the game, described the atmosphere. Lukas Baldridge, a 38-year-old Steelers fan, said he had barely noticed the unrest the day before. “We came in, went to a bar, got some drinks, got dinner, went home, didn’t see any protesting,” he said. “Streets were closed. Most shops were closed. That felt unusual maybe, but I don’t know enough about Paris to know what is normal and what’s not normal.”
The French government’s final picture of Saturday came on Monday morning. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez put arrests across the country at 1,435, up from a provisional 1,314 on Sunday and “almost 1,000” on Saturday night, and said 267 police officers and gendarmes had been hurt, far more than the 53 first reported, along with 150 protesters, three of them fairly seriously, in Toulouse, Reims and Clermont-Ferrand. More than 100 of the arrests were for carrying weapons, he said, with pétanque balls and fireworks mortars among the items seized. He called the violence against officers “very high” but said the day had been brought under control, and said the curfews in place would continue. Our Saturday report has how the Paris march and the clashes at the Porte de Vincennes unfolded.
Peaky Blinders, Dupont and Riner, and a 45-second boo
Some of the Steelers dressed for the occasion, arriving at the stadium a couple of hours before kickoff dressed like characters from the television series Peaky Blinders. The team’s new Paris look on the field, white jerseys with black pants, had been revealed the day before.
The Steelers’ arrival in Saint-Denis.
Before kickoff, rugby captain Antoine Dupont and judo great Teddy Riner were introduced to the crowd on the field to launch the game. Handball great Nikola Karabatic and former France midfielder Paul Pogba were also at the game, and WWE’s Bella Twins turned out in Saints colors.
Antoine Dupont and Teddy Riner on the field at the Stade de France. Video: the league’s French account.
The loudest noise before the first snap was for a referee. Bill Vinovich, working a Saints game for the first time since the January 2019 NFC Championship Game against the Rams, when his crew did not call pass interference on a late third down, was booed for about 45 seconds when he was introduced for the coin toss. The Saints were the designated home team, and their traveling fans had not forgotten.
Burna Boy back at the Stade de France
The halftime show belonged to Burna Boy, who returned to the stadium where, in April 2025, he became the first African artist to headline a concert of his own. The Nigerian star opened with “4 Kampe II” alongside singer Joé Dwèt Filé, brought out the French singer Yseult, and worked through “On The Low,” “Ye” and “Last Last” on a red stage. Riner watched from the field.
Teddy Riner during the halftime show. Photos: the league’s French account.
Burna Boy and Pogba also crossed paths at the game.
“It kind of felt 50/50”
Though New Orleans was the home team, the Steelers’ fans and their Terrible Towels often seemed to outnumber the Saints’ supporters. “It kind of felt 50/50,” Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss said. “This is such a fun atmosphere. Maybe not feel like the true home team, it was a very special atmosphere, one I wish we could have gotten a win in.”
Kellen Moore started his news conference with thanks. “I would like to start by saying how much we appreciate everyone who, in the country of France, Paris, Versailles, helped make this event happen,” the Saints coach said. “I thought it was a really great event, really great game today.” Mike McCarthy credited the Steelers’ traveling support, as he told reporters in our Steelers report.
The first touchdown ever scored in an NFL game in France was Aaron Rodgers’ 4-yard pass to tight end Darnell Washington in the second quarter, the 540th of Rodgers’ career, which moved him past Peyton Manning into third place on the all-time list.
A view of the Washington touchdown from the stands, shared by the league’s French account.
The Steelers mark the win in Paris.
What comes next
The league’s European swing continues in two weeks. The Falcons host the Bengals at the Bernabéu in Madrid on Sunday, November 8, at 3:30 p.m. Madrid time, 4:30 p.m. in Cairo, the second regular-season game in Spain. The Patriots and Lions play in Munich on Sunday, November 15, and the Vikings and 49ers in Mexico City on Sunday, November 22. No further game in France has been announced; Goodell said last week the league would not name one before it had staged its first two there.
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