The NFL will likely release its 2026 NFL schedule sometime over the next couple weeks. But The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported Wednesday Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers already know one thing — they won’t be playing in London this fall.
The possibility exists because the Steelers have the Jacksonville Jaguars on their 2026 road schedule. The Jaguars will host two games in London this fall.
But Dulac wrote Wednesday the Jaguars requested the matchup versus the Steelers to stay in Florida.
“According to multiple sources, the Jaguars ‘protected’ their home game against the Steelers, meaning it will likely be played in Jacksonville and not the capital of England,” wrote Dulac.
The Pittsburgh beat writer explained the Jaguars blocked the Steelers from the London matchup because the Jaguars know they won’t have a problem selling tickets for that game in Jacksonville.
“They don’t want to give up a game against the Steelers because they know it is guaranteed to be a sellout, based on the way Steelers fans gobble up seats in opposing stadiums.”
Last season, the Steelers played their first international game in 13 years. The team hosted the league’s first regular season contest in Dublin, Ireland.
Pittsburgh defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 in the matchup.
The Steelers last played in London during the 2013 campaign. Ironically, that matchup was also against the Vikings.
Those two contests are the only two times the Steelers have played regular season games in Europe.
Steelers Won’t Play in London During 2026: Report
There will likely be a lot of NFL schedule leaks before the official slate becomes public. The league typically releases its schedule during the second full week of May.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, though, wrote on May 3 that the NFL might not release this season’s schedule until May 18.
Florio explained there are factors that make the 2026 schedule more complicated than normal for the league. Mostly notably, the NFL will have even more non-Sunday games in late November and December. The league will also set a record with nine international games next season.
Those contests will be on different networks and streaming platforms. Those are all details the league has to decide before releasing the 2026 schedule.
But according to Dulac, Steelers fans won’t have to be concerned about waking up early to watch their favorite team overseas against the Jaguars.
Could Steelers Play in Different NFL International Game?
While the possibility of the Steelers playing in London next season appears to be dead, another potential overseas matchup exists for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers will face the New Orleans Saints on the road during 2026. New Orleans will host the NFL’s first game in Paris. The NFL has yet to announce who will be the Saints opponent in that contest.
According to speculation, though, it could be the Cleveland Browns.
More than likely, the Steelers won’t play overseas this fall. But one thing is all but certain — the team will not go another 13 years before its next international game.
There are too many overseas games, and the Steelers are too popular of a team, for that to ever happen again.
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