The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints in the NFL’s first regular-season game held in France, a matchup that went forward despite a week of protests, vandalism and looting in Paris tied to anger over the cost of living and deteriorating public services.
The unrest had drawn scrutiny of the league’s decision to proceed. President Donald Trump said he was “worried about it” in the days before kickoff. Paris Saint-Germain, the city’s premier soccer club, postponed its own Saturday match to Monday because of the disorder. The NFL did not postpone or relocate its game at Stade de France.
Security was tightened in the run-up to the matchup. The league coordinated with Parisian police, French national authorities and the U.S. State Department. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Saints owner Gayle Benson and Steelers owner Art Rooney II met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace to review safety plans before the game. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told OutKick the game would proceed safely, and it did.
Fans Describe a City Scarred but Standing
Fans who traveled to Paris for the game described a mixed picture: a functioning, largely normal city bearing visible marks of a rough week.
“If I’m being honest, I have not seen enough. I’ve seen some graffiti everywhere, but I haven’t seen anything myself,” one fan said outside Stade de France.
“For the most part, it hasn’t been a problem. There’s been a few delays and disturbances, but it hasn’t been that big of a problem,” another said.
One attendee who traveled from Mexico, where protests over crime, working conditions and housing costs are familiar, said the unrest did not factor into his decision to attend.
“[It] don’t matter. Mexico is almost the same. We have a bad government. I don’t care. I don’t care [about] the problems in France. It’s OK for me. I came for the game.”
Others were more troubled by what they saw. One fan noted boarded-up storefronts and cracked glass near tourist areas, but said the city overall “seems great” and was “not as bad as I was expecting.” He added a note of frustration with the destruction itself.
“There’s a lot of really beautiful things that they’re hurting for no reason. I understand they want to speak their voice, but they’re doing things that shouldn’t be done – vandalizing monuments and stuff. It’s not worth it.”
Another fan drew a line between peaceful protest and property destruction.
“Have they gone too far, the protestors? When they start tearing stuff up, yes sir. When they start burning vehicles and stuff, yeah, that’s too far.”
More International Games Ahead
The NFL has five more international games scheduled for the 2026 season. The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid in Week 9. The New England Patriots face the Detroit Lions in Munich in Week 10. The following week, the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers will play in Mexico City.
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