Steelers Fans Cheer Despite Paris Protests for Historic France Game

Pittsburgh Steelers fans cheered as their team beat the New Orleans Saints on a field that surprised everyone. It was the NFL's first-ever game in France, and it went off surprisingly well. This happened even though Paris faced protests and civil unrest all week leading up to the matchup.

The league took fire from critics throughout the week. People pointed out violence, looting, vandalism, and other chaos occurring in Paris. The anger was widespread, driven by high living costs and failing public services. Even President Donald Trump admitted he was worried about it while talking about the game between the Steelers and Saints.

Some might say the league should have paused. Beloved soccer team Paris Saint-Germain postponed its Saturday match to Monday because of the trouble. But the NFL didn't blink. Neither did its fans. OutKick spoke with several supporters who braved the risk of being caught in the middle of protests. For these football goers, it was just some inconveniences and nothing more.

"If I'm being honest, I have not seen enough," one fan said outside Stade de France. "I've seen some graffiti everywhere, but I haven't seen anything myself." Another added that for the most part, it hasn't been a problem. There were a few delays and disturbances, but it wasn't that big of a problem.

One fan traveled all the way from Mexico to watch. Protests due to violent crime, bad working conditions, and housing costs are nothing new there. "[It] don't matter," he said when asked about France's widespread protests. "Mexico is almost the same." He noted they have a bad government too. "I don't care. I don't care [about] the problems in France. It's OK for me. I came for the game."

Fair enough. Heightened security measures were definitely in place. The NFL worked closely with Parisian police, French national authorities, and the U.S. State Department to ensure safety for everyone attending the game and people around the area. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Saints owner Gayle Benson, and Steelers owner Art Rooney II all met with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace before kickoff to go over safety plans.

As for fans experiencing one of the most iconic cities on Earth, it wasn't ideal to say the least. "There are some stores I want to go to that are boarded up a little bit, or have cracks in their glass," one fan explained. "But other than that, the city seems great. It's not as bad as I was expecting."

"There's a lot of really beautiful things that they're hurting for no reason," the fan continued. "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 believed protesters have gone too far when it involves destroying property and more violent acts. "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."

Goodell said the game would go off without a hitch. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed as much to OutKick, and that was the case in the end. The world saw professional football played safely under difficult circumstances.

There are five international games still left on the 2026 NFL schedule. In Week 9, the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons will play in Madrid, Spain. The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions will take to a field in Munich, Germany in Week 10. Next week, the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers travel to Mexico City, Mexico.