Vikings' two-week international stretch comes with competitive advantages

This fall, the Vikings will become the first NFL team to play international games in consecutive weeks in different countries. They'll take on the Steelers in Dublin in Week 4 — in what will be the league's first-ever game in Ireland — and then spend a full week overseas before facing the Browns in London in Week 5.

The game in Dublin will take place at Croke Park on Sunday, Sept. 28. The London game will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5. Both contests will kick off at 8:30 a.m. central time and 2:30 p.m. local time. Minnesota's bye week will likely be in Week 6, following their trip.

"Playing in Ireland’s first-ever NFL game is an opportunity to introduce new fans to the Minnesota Vikings and help the league continue to make the game of football more accessible globally," said Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf.

While the prospect of what could be a trip of ten-plus days to Europe in the middle of the NFL season may seem daunting, it should actually present some competitive advantages to the Vikings. For one, they'll be the "road" team in both contests, which means they won't lose one of their eight home games at U.S. Bank Stadium. Instead of playing in hostile environments in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, these will be neutral-site games that should feature plenty of purple in the crowd. Vikings fans always travel well, and there's already a healthy contingent of them in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

"Our experiences in London have always been memorable, so to return in 2025 as the first team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up," Wilf said. "UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings, creating what often feels like a home-field environment, and we are hopeful that is what we see again in 2025."

This extended trip means the Vikings will only have seven true road games among their 17 this season. The rest of the NFC North will play nine such contests. That's a real advantage for Minnesota. Additionally, for the second of these two games, the Vikings will have already been adjusted to the time zone for over a full week, which won't be the case for the Browns. That could matter as well.

The Vikings aren't the first team to play two international games in a row. The Jaguars, who have played in London more than any other franchise, have done so in consecutive weeks in each of the last two seasons. For what it's worth, they went 2-0 on the back half of those stretches and 3-1 overall. What's unprecedented about this part of Minnesota's schedule is that the games will take place in different countries (even if Dublin and London are only about an hour's flight apart).

The Vikings are 4-0 in international games in their history, winning in London in 2013, 2017, 2022, and 2024. They also went 4-0 in overseas exhibition games from 1983-1994.

NFL games will be played in five different countries this year, not including the United States.