The NFL looks set to expand further into Europe, and the New Orleans Saints are positioning themselves at the centre of a push to bring a regular-season game to Paris.
Stade de France is in the running to host a fixture in 2026 or 2027, and the Saints have indicated they would like to be the visiting team if the French capital wins the bid.
New Orleans has been the league’s on-the-ground team in France since the NFL launched its global markets programme in 2022.
The Saints hold exclusive marketing rights for the country and have been building ties from scratch, leaning on the city’s historical links with France.
Part of that effort includes a strategic partnership with the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football.
The collaboration has involved coaching exchanges, community outreach and a high-profile youth flag-football clinic attended by more than 200 children.
While cultivating fans in Paris, the Saints also made an unexpected ally in Monaco’s Prince Albert II.
He met team officials in New Orleans, joined them at the Super Bowl and later hosted Saints representatives at Monaco’s Red Cross gala.
Those contacts have opened talks about staging an off-season mini-camp in the principality.
The proposal under discussion would see the Saints hold two or three days of practice, most likely at AS Monaco’s stadium, as a way to raise the team’s profile in the region.
The Saints plan to ramp up grassroots work across France ahead of any Paris game, including introducing school-based flag-football programmes in several cities and supporting the development of a national league structure.
The NFL has already scouted Stade de France and will announce its next wave of international games soon.
League officials stress that overseas fixtures are part of a longer-term strategy — not one-off events — and that multiple global markets remain priorities.
A short training visit to Monaco could therefore serve as both a public-relations boost and a practical step toward a larger presence in France, as the NFL continues to grow its international footprint.
