The New Orleans Saints are expected to play a regular-season game in Paris, France, perhaps as early as the 2026 regular season, Saints president Dennis Lauscha said Tuesday.
Negotiations between the NFL and stadium officials in Paris are ongoing, but Lauscha said he expects them to be finalized soon and an official announcement to come from the league in the next few weeks.
"You might hear in the next couple weeks that we might be having a game internationally and that game may be in Paris," Lauscha said at the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club Tuesday. "We (the Saints) have the rights to the country of France and Monaco, so that makes so much sense, we think. We’re really excited about that (possibility).”
The NFL has never held a game in Paris, but league officials have expressed interest in playing a game there in recent years. The site would be Stade de France, which played host to the past two Summer Olympics.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league hopes to expand its International Series to eight games next season and potentially double that total by 2030. The series has grown from a single game per year in England in 2005 to a seven-game schedule in five countries this season.
“We’re working on it,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said last week, when asked about the Saints playing a game and potentially conducting a mini-camp or training camp in France. “We’ve met with Prince Albert (of Monaco) and talked about trying to do something over there.”
In 2023, the Saints were granted the international marketing rights in France – the first NFL club to select and be awarded the French market – as part of the league’s global markets program.
Owner Gayle Benson and linebacker DeMario Davis led a Saints contingent that visited Paris in July to market and promote the team.
Earlier this year, the Saints announced a strategic partnership with the Paris Musketeers, who play in the European League of Football, through which the team hopes to grow the American game while also increasing its own brand visibility in France.
An NFL game in Paris next season would also coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States, allowing for more marketing opportunities, Lauscha said.
“A lot of what we're trying to do is help New Orleans out and highlight our city, particularly to those (people and events) in France,” Lauscha said.