NFL in Paris: League eyes big debut as Steelers-Saints game comes amid security concerns

The NFL hopes to bring a “mini-Super Bowl” vibe to Paris this week for its first regular-season game in France, even as authorities consider imposing curfews following civil unrest.

The security situation has partially overshadowed the buildup to Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at Stade de France.

But the league says preparations are on schedule with an “NFL House” to open later in the week and other fan activities. The Saints arrived in Paris on Monday morning and have their own fan events planned, too.

The NFL has teamed up with Paris Saint-Germain and French stars like Kylian Mbappé and rugby player Antoine Dupont to help promote the game.

Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and Asia-Pacific, told The Associated Press that the French market has been one of “high interest” for some time.

“It would make sense to play regularly here each year, but we haven’t made that call yet,” Gosper said in a recent interview. “We like to see how things go the first time, but we’re pretty confident it will be a successful execution of that game.”

To land lucrative media-rights deals in any market, the league knows it needs to attract new fans and push higher into that country’s TV viewership preferences.

"(The) Super Bowl is your first meeting, normally, with new entrants, so if we can make this week as much like a Super Bowl as possible, a mini–Super Bowl, then we’ll hopefully recruit some new fans this week and that’s the whole goal,” Gosper said.

The league said Sunday that “preparations continue as scheduled for NFL events and the game at Stade de France."

“We continue to work closely with local authorities and partners on all operational and security matters," the NFL's statement read. "We are also providing the two clubs with regular updates. There’s been no disruption or impact at league sites.”

The Saints left for Paris from New York shortly after beating the Giants 34-27 on Sunday.

“Our guys are really looking forward to this. It’s going to be an awesome setup, awesome opportunity,” coach Kellen Moore said at his postgame news conference.

Soccer club PSG announced it has partnered with the NFL on two distinct game jerseys. Saints players were also invited to PSG’s Champions League game against Barcelona at Parc des Princes on Tuesday night.

Mbappé, the France and Real Madrid star, pulls on shoulder pads and a helmet in an NFL social media segment with Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

“It works very well and it raises the profile and it makes the game more accessible to people who aren’t as familiar with it in that country,” Gosper said of the collaborations.

Antoine Griezmann, a former France international soccer star who now plays for Orlando City in Major League Soccer, has been a big NFL supporter through the years through podcasts and TV appearances.

Another gateway into the French sports scene is through rugby, Gosper said, speaking before last weekend.

"This is a very strong sports market. Yes, it’s dominated by soccer, but rugby has a big part in it,” said Gosper, the former CEO of World Rugby.

“The familiarity with a physical sport like rugby, we think helps, as it has in the UK and Australia. People are used to watching collisions and contact and enjoy that and like to see a different version of that. So, we think that’s helpful in France.”

France rugby star Antoine Dupont will be at Sunday’s game. He once spent a day at the training facility of the Los Angeles Chargers and showed coach Jim Harbaugh how to pass a rugby ball.

Just what France needs: more Americans.

“There’s a particularly high U.S. inbound on this,” Gosper said, estimating around 20%, which is higher than a typical London game.

The stadium capacity is about 82,000. He said 70% of the tickets were bought locally, and the remaining 10% are from elsewhere in Europe.

“We don’t announce sellouts, but the stadium is full,” Gosper said.

State-owned France Televisions is covering Sunday’s game.

“They’re seeing this as a major national event in France. They’ll have a very big free-to-air audience,” Gosper said.

Sports daily L’Equipe also will have a free-to-air broadcast, and its print edition recently published an NFL supplement for readers.

“You want to rise up that viewing preference ladder on French broadcasts over time. We know if we get into that top five it starts paying back,” Gosper said.

“You do that by increasing the number of fans, engaging really well with them, being part of the local landscape, and that happens over time.”

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) aims a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

People walk past a looted store, after violence erupted during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

New Orleans Saints teammates arrive at the reception pavilion of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy north of Paris, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

New Orleans Saints' David Edwards arrives at the reception pavilion of Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy north of Paris, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A sorority member at the University of Arizona has alleged she was sexually assaulted by two men at a fraternity house during a night of drinking in late August.

The student told the university’s police department that she consensually kissed one of the men at one point while at the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on Aug. 26 but doesn’t remember agreeing to sex, according to search warrant records posted Monday night by KOLD-TV in Tucson.

The sexual assault allegations surfaced two weeks after the university had suspended activities for its 21 fraternities amid reports of misconduct, including assault, hazing and drug- and alcohol-related behavior. Suspensions on all but five fraternities have since been lifted after they had mandatory meetings with the dean of students.

In speaking with an investigator, the sorority member recalled consuming tequila, including sharing a cup of the beverage with friends; witnessing two men sexually assaulting her, even feeling one man’s breath on her face; awakening the next morning without pants and underwear on; and noticing a difficulty in swallowing, a possible sign of strangulation, according to the records.

Later that day, she reported the allegations to police and underwent a forensic exam at a hospital.

In a recorded call with the sorority member two days after the encounter, one of the men acknowledged he had sex with her, but he said she had agreed to it and denied that another man had sex with her. He said he had been drunk and “fuzzy” on what happened. He said people took video of the sorority member and him kissing in a bathroom, according to the records.

The Associated Press left email and phone messages with the university Tuesday seeking comment. Its police department said the investigation is ongoing and declined to say if any arrests had been made. The Pima County Attorney’s Office said the case hasn’t been referred to it for prosecution.

The university had put Sigma Phi Epsilon on probation from July until May of next year after a hazing complaint. Sigma Phi Epsilon isn’t among the five fraternities that are currently listed as suspended.

The national fraternity organization said they ordered members of the Arizona chapter to comply with any investigation.

“The Fraternity has suspended those involved while the investigation proceeds. Any member found responsible will be expelled from Sigma Phi Epsilon, and we will cooperate fully with law enforcement as it seeks accountability under the law,” read a statement from Brian Warren, chief executive officer of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Retaliation against the alleged victim or any witnesses would also not be tolerated, Warren said.

Meanwhile, at Cornell University, a former student alleged that multiple Chi Phi fraternity members sexually assaulted her in October 2024. The allegations have sparked campus protests, renewed scrutiny of the Ivy League school's disciplinary system and a state investigation into the alleged assault. Several of the men have denied that they engaged in any nonconsensual sex or denied they touched the woman at all.

This week, a woman sued Alpha Delta Phi and its Chicago chapter, alleging she was raped in February by a member of the fraternity at the University of Chicago. The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe, claimed she was sexually assaulted during a party at an on-campus residence and that she reported the assault to city police the next day.

When asked about the case, Chicago police did not name the fraternity or provide an exact address, but said they are investigating a report of a sexual assault that happened on the same block early on Feb. 8.

The University of Chicago and Alpha Delta Phi did not respond to emails in time for publication.

Chicago police are also investigating after a woman reported being sexually assaulted during a party at another fraternity earlier this month. The University of Chicago said in a statement last week that a woman reported being sexually assaulted at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house. The fraternity said none of its members took part in the alleged attack.

Associated Press writer Laura Turbay in Arkansas contributed.

The original Old Main building on the University of Arizona campus is seen Friday, July 31, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)