The Pittsburgh Steelers canceled a fan event planned for a bar in Paris’ Bastille neighborhood, the team and the NFL said Thursday, Oct. 22, citing security concerns after recent street protests in the city.
The “Steelers House” gathering was set for O’Sullivans, an Irish pub in the Bastille area that had been advertising a watch party for the Steelers’ game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Oct. 25. The game, at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, was the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
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A message sent to fans cited “recent events in the Bastille neighborhood” and said game preparations were continuing as planned, with the league working with local authorities on security.
Nicki Ewell, the NFL’s vice president for global events, told The Associated Press that the Steelers made the decision. She said the league sent the notice because it had promoted the event with the team, and that no NFL fan events were affected.
The Steelers told the AP the cancellation was a precaution because the Bastille area had seen recent disruptions. The team also said the league had reported no disruptions at its own sites.
The announcement came a day after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking at the end of the league’s fall owners meeting, said he had a high comfort level with the game being played in Paris. Goodell said he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that officials were in contact with French authorities. “Protests are not unusual in France,” he said.
Security concerns continued into the weekend. The NFL closed its NFL House fan site in Paris on Saturday, Oct. 24, citing “potential accessibility issues,” as the city prepared for more protests, the AP reported.
The game was played as scheduled. Pittsburgh beat New Orleans 16-10 before 78,488 fans to improve to 5-2, and it hosts the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 1.
This story was updated on Oct. 31, 2026, with verified statistics and corrections.
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